Worried at Home, Avoiding the Prisoner
by Trucbiduleschouettes
Summary: After two perilous years at Hogwarts, the twins are up for another stressful year as a murderous prisoner had escaped from Azkaban and is now looking for them...
1. Chapter 1

Rohini and Harry Potter were quite the interesting twins. For one thing they had both survived perilous situation not once, not twice, but three time in twelve years. They also happened to be wizards and students at Hogwarts, one of the most famous Wizardly Schools in the world. And just like any students, they found themselves with homework that they had to do in secret at night.

The reason behind it was that the two of them lived with the Dursleys, their only family still alive. Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon and their cousin Dudley were Muggles, which meant they had no magical powers. They were also extremely abusive and despised magic more than anything in the world.

Like the previous summer, Uncle Vernon had locked the twins' school supplies into the cupboard under the stairs and forbidden them to try to get them. Of course, he wasn't aware of Rohini's talent at unlocking things with a hairpin and ignored that the twins were doing their homework at midnight, hiding with a flashlight under their blanket.

"Rohini, can I borrow your ink?" Harry asked from his bed. "I just finished mine. Rohini?" He called again in a low voice to avoid waking up his Uncle.

When his sister didn't react, Harry sighed and stood up, turning his flashlight off and pushing his blanket away.

"Rohini!" He said and his sister's face finally emerged from under her blanket with a frown. "I called you twice already."

"Sorry for being half deaf." Rohini said, deadpan. An accident at the pool when they were younger had made her lose the hearing equivalent of 35 decibels. Since then, she had been talking slightly louder than most people and would miss a few words in a hushed conversation.

"Ah, sorry." Harry said. "I was wondering if I could borrow your ink?"

"Sure." Rohini said with a nod. "I just finished my essay on Witch Burning anyway."

"I wish I was as fast as you." Harry sighed before frowning as Rohini grimaced. "You're ok?"

"Yeah, it's nothing." Rohini lied, looking away. Her left hand was clenched around her right arm.

Truth was, Rohini suffered from Phantom Pain from time to time, usually at night. It was due to the fact that two months ago, in the Chamber of Secrets, the twins had fought a Basilisk and as she killed it with the Gryffindor sword that Harry had picked up, Rohini had been bitten by one of the creature's venomous fangs.

If it hadn't been for Fawkes the Phoenix and his healing tears, she would have died that day. The wound didn't exist anymore; there wasn't even a scar left. Yet Rohini's body hadn't forgotten the unbearable pain as she got poisoned.

The bed cracked as Harry sat next to Rohini, embracing his knees with his chin on top of them.

"We went through a lot, didn't we?" He asked her. Rohini said nothing; they had never taken the time to talk about all the bad things that had happened, only the good ones.

Rohini wasn't sure why exactly. Maybe they liked to pretend it had never happened, that they were just normal twins. Of course, they were far from normal. They were the Twins Who Lived and Harry was the boy who defeated Lord Voldemort, the Darkest Wizard of all time.

A sudden meow made the twins jump; Thranduil, Rohini's cat, was staring at them with his big blue eyes. Rohini smiled and pet the bed, inviting her cat to join this little family moment. Harry scratched the Siamese cat under his chin and Thranduil seemed to appreciate it.

"So." Rohini said, sitting up. "Want to talk about it?"

"I dunno." Harry admitted. "Do you?" Rohini shrugged.

"If Luna was here, she'd say it could do us some good." She said. Luna Lovegood was a fellow Ravenclaw and a good friend of her. She was one year younger than she and Padma, her best friend.

"Ok." Harry said with a nod. "Ok." He repeated.

"You don't have to if you don't feel like it yet." Rohini told him with a hand on his shoulder. "It can wait. It's not like I'm going anywhere." She had and Harry smiled.

"Me neither, not after the disaster with Ron." He said and Rohini grunted at the memory.

Ron Weasley, who was one of Harry's best friends, came from a whole family of wizards. This meant that he knew a lot of things Harry didn't, but had never used a telephone before. Still, Harry had given him his phone number but most unluckily it had been Uncle Vernon who had answered the call, a week ago.

"Vernon Dursley speaking."

"HELLO? HELLO? CAN YOU HEAR ME? I—WANT—TO—TALK—TO—HARRY—POTTER!"

Ron was yelling so loudly that Uncle Vernon jumped and held the receiver a foot away from his ear, staring at it with an expression of mingled fury and alarm. Rohini and Harry, who had been in the kitchen at that time, had frozen at Ron's voice.

"WHO IS THIS?" Uncle Vernon roared in the direction of the mouthpiece. "WHO ARE YOU?"

"RON—WEASLEY!" Ron bellowed back, as though he and Uncle Vernon were speaking from opposite ends of a football field. "I'M—A—FRIEND—OF—HARRY'S—FROM—SCHOOL—"

Uncle Vernon's small eyes swivelled around to the twins with quite an unfriendly expression.

"THERE IS NO HARRY POTTER HERE!" he roared, now holding the receiver at arm's length, as though frightened it might explode. "I DON'T KNOW WHAT SCHOOL YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT! NEVER CONTACT ME AGAIN! DON'T YOU COME NEAR MY FAMILY!"

And he threw the receiver back onto the telephone as if dropping a poisonous spider.

The fight that had followed had been one of the worst ever.

"HOW DARE YOU GIVE THIS NUMBER TO PEOPLE LIKE—PEOPLE LIKE YOU!" Uncle Vernon had roared, spraying the twins with spit before locking them into their bedroom for the rest of the afternoon.

"Next time, tell Ron to stick to owl post." Rohini had told Harry as they stared at the door.

After swearing that he wouldn't use her to send letters to any of his friends, Harry had been allowed to let his owl, Hedwig, out at night. Uncle Vernon had given in because of the racket Hedwig made if she was locked in her cage all the time. To be honest, Rohini could have picked the lock of her cage herself at night but it was safer to have their Uncle's agreement.

The twins were still sitting in silence when Rohini gasped, pointing at her alarm clock with a smile. It was now past midnight, which meant today was their birthday.

"Happy Birthday, Harry!" She said, ruffling his already messy hair. "I can't believe how much you've grown since the last one."

"Happy Birthday, Rohini." Harry said with a smile. "And it's not my fault if you're pixie sized."

"Oh, hush!" Rohini groaned, hitting him with her pillow and the two of them giggled before a loud snore from Uncle Vernon reminded them that they had to be quiet if they didn't wanted to wake him up. "I don't understand why I'm smaller than you. We're twins!"

"I'm a boy." Harry said.

"And I'm cooler. What's your point?" Rohini asked, making him rolled his eyes.

Harry, though still rather small and skinny for his age, had grown a few inches over the last year. Rohini remembered the sweet time of her youth when she was taller of one inch. Now, Harry was slowly but surely growing one head taller than her. Their jet-black hair, however, were looking just the same; stubbornly untidy and identical length now that Rohini had finally gotten the haircut she wanted.

"Hey, did you see that?" Rohini suddenly asked, looking at something in the sky. Silhouetted against the golden moon, and growing larger every moment, was a large, strangely lopsided creature, and it was flapping in their direction.

Rohini jumped off her bed, followed by Harry and opened the window, waiting for the thing to come closer. It was sinking lower and lower until finally it soared over one of the street lamps and the twins grinned as they stepped aside to let three owls inside.

Two of them were holding up the third, which appeared to be unconscious. They landed with a soft flump on Harry's bed, and the middle owl, which was large and gray, keeled right over and lay motionless. There was a large package tied to its legs.

"Oh, Errol…" Rohini sighed as she picked up the Weasley's owl and gently caressed his feathers while Harry untied the cords around his legs.

"You should put him in Hedwig's cage so he can rest." Harry suggested and Rohini nodded, kissing Errol's beak before putting him in the cage. Errol opened one bleary eye, gave a feeble hoot of thanks, and began to gulp some water. It didn't seem to please Hedwig who was one of the two other owls.

She, too, was carrying a parcel and gave Harry an affectionate nip with her beak as he removed her burden, then flew across the room to join Errol.

As for the third owl, a handsome tawny one, it probably belonged to school for as in addition to a third package, it was carrying a letter bearing the Hogwarts crest. Unlike Hedwig and Errol, it didn't rest and left as soon as his burden had been untied.

"Smells like Birthday Presents to me." Rohini said with a large grin as the two of them sat down Harry's bed, beginning with Errol's package.

"Our first birthday card!" Harry said as he ripped off the brown paper, and discovered a card with a present wrapped in gold.

"Open it! Rohini urged him.

Two pieces of paper fell out of the envelope: a letter and a newspaper clipping.

The clipping had clearly come out of the wizarding newspaper, the Daily Prophet, because the people in the black-and-white picture were moving. It read:

 ** _MINISTRY OF MAGIC EMPLOYEE_**

 ** _SCOOPS GRAND PRIZE_**

 _Arthur Weasley, Head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office at the Ministry of Magic, has won the annual Daily Prophet Grand Prize Galleon Draw._

 _A delighted Mr. Weasley told the Daily Prophet, "We will be spending the gold on a summer holiday in Egypt, where our eldest son, Bill, works as a curse breaker for Gringotts Wizarding Bank."_

 _The Weasley family will be spending a month in Egypt, returning for the start of the new school year at Hogwarts, which five of the Weasley children currently attend._

"Wow, that's awesome! They deserve it after all they went through last year." Rohini said and Harry nodded.

Their smile got even bigger as they look at the picture: all nine of the Weasleys were waving furiously at them, standing in front of a large pyramid. Plump little Mrs. Weasley; tall, balding Mr. Weasley; six sons; and one daughter. Right in the middle of the picture was Ron, tall and gangling, with his pet rat, Scabbers, on his shoulder and his arm around his little sister, Ginny.

"Ginny looks much healthier, I'm glad." Rohini said. Her friend had been manipulated by the sixteen years old incarnation of Voldemort to do monstrous things during her first year at Hogwarts and Rohini truly hopped this year would go better for her. "What about the letter?"

Harry picked up Ron's letter and unfolded it.

 _Dear Harry, Rohini,_

 _Happy birthday!_

 _Look, I'm really sorry about that telephone call. I hope the Muggles didn't give you a hard time. I asked Dad, and he reckons I shouldn't have shouted._

 _It's amazing here in Egypt. Bill's taken us around all the tombs and you wouldn't believe the curses those old Egyptian wizards put on them. Mum wouldn't let Ginny come in the last one. There were all these mutant skeletons in there, of Muggles who'd broken in and grown extra heads and stuff._

 _I couldn't believe it when Dad won the Daily Prophet Draw. Seven hundred galleons! Most of it's gone on this trip, but they're going to buy me a new wand for next year._

 _We'll be back about a week before term starts and we'll be going up to London to get my wand and our new books. Any chance of meeting you there?_

 _Don't let the Muggles get you down!_

 _Try and come to London,_

 _Ron_

 _PS. Percy's Head Boy. He got the letter last week._

"Glad he's gonna get a new wand." Rohini said. "I'd worry he would have turn you into a frog by mistake otherwise."

"Just like it made Lockhart amnesiac?" Harry said and the twins giggled at the memory. Gilderoy Lockhart had been their previous DADA teacher and was the most narcissist loser they had ever met. As he tried to cast an Obliviate spell on them with Ron's broken wand, he had been hit by his own spell instead and lost all his memories.

"I wonder if they've found a new teacher." Harry asked and Rohini shrugged. Then, Harry turned to his present and unwrapped it. Inside was what looked like a miniature glass spinning top. There was another note from Ron beneath it.

 _Harry—this is a Pocket Sneakoscope. If there's someone untrustworthy around, it's supposed to light up and spin. Bill says it's rubbish sold for wizard tourists and isn't reliable, because it kept lighting up at dinner last night. But he didn't realize Fred and George had put beetles in his soup._

 _Bye—_

 _Ron_

Harry put the Pocket Sneakoscope on his bedside table, where it stood quite still, balanced on its point, reflecting the luminous hands of his clock.

"Would probably come in handy." Rohini said as she picked up the parcel Hedwig had brought. She was pleasantly surprised when she discovered not one, but two wrapped present, meaning there was one for her too. With them came a card and a letter, this time from Hermione.

 _Dear Harry, Rohini_

 _Ron wrote to me and told me about his phone call to your Uncle Vernon. I do hope you're all right._

 _I'm on holiday in France at the moment and I didn't know how I was going to send this to you—what if they'd opened it at customs?—but then Hedwig turned up! I think she wanted to make sure you got something for your birthday for a change. I bought your present by owl-order; there was an advertisement in the Daily Prophet (I've been getting it delivered; it's so good to keep up with what's going on in the wizarding world). Did you see that picture of Ron and his family a week ago? I bet he's learning loads. I'm really jealous—the ancient Egyptian wizards were fascinating._

 _There's some interesting local history of witchcraft here, too. I've rewritten my whole History of Magic essay to include some of the things I've found out. I hope it's not too long—it's two rolls of parchment more than Professor Binns asked for._

 _Ron says he's going to be in London in the last week of the holidays. Can you make it? Will your aunt and uncle let you come? I really hope you can. If not, I'll see you on the Hogwarts Express on September first!_

 _Love from_

 _Hermonie_

 _PS. Ron says Percy's Head Boy. I'll bet Percy's really pleased. Ron doesn't seem too happy about it._

"I'm so jealous." Rohini sighed. "Egypt and France? They better share their new knowledges with us once they're back."

Harry laughed as he put Hermione's letter aside and picked up the present with his name on it. He gasped loudly as he ripped back the paper and saw a sleek black leather case, with silver words stamped across it, reading _Broomstick Servicing Kit_.

"Wow, Hermione!" Harry whispered, unzipping the case to look inside, Rohini looking over his shoulder curiously.

There was a large jar of Fleetwood's High-Finish Handle Polish, a pair of gleaming silver Tail-Twig Clippers, a tiny brass compass to clip on your broom for long journeys, and a Handbook of Do-It-Yourself Broomcare.

"I wonder what she sent me…" Rohini said, unwrapping her own gift and whistling; there were three books inside: one was to learn the basic of the French language, the other was about the most famous French wizards and witches of the 14th century and the last one was about creatures that you could only find in France.

"Hermione, I love you." Rohini said, blowing a kiss to the moon and making Harry snort. Then, they looked at the last parcel which was quite big.

They recognized the untidy scrawl on the brown paper at once: this was from Hagrid, the Hogwarts gamekeeper. Harry tore off the top layer of paper and they glimpsed something green and leathery, but before he could unwrap it properly, the parcel gave a strange quiver, and whatever was inside it snapped loudly—as though it had jaws.

"huh… I have a bad feeling about this…" Rohini said and the twin exchanged a nervous glance.

Hagrid would never send him anything dangerous on purpose, but then, Hagrid didn't have a normal person's view of what was dangerous. Hagrid had been known to buy vicious, three-headed dogs from men in pubs, and sneak illegal dragon eggs into his cabin.

"You know what, maybe you should open it." Harry said, pulling the heavy package into Rohini's arms.

"Coward." She said before pulling on the wrapping paper in a strong wave of her wrist. "Oh, it's two boo-" She began before dropping them with a yelp: one of them had opened and revealed tiny teeth that almost sank into her hand.

They just had time to register the furry green cover, emblazoned with the golden title _The Monster Book of Monsters_ , before the two manuals scuttled sideways under the bed like some weird crab, making angry Chihuahua like noises.

"Uh-oh," Harry muttered.

"We need to stop them or they're going to wake Uncle Vernon up." Rohini said though she had no idea how to deal with the strange situation. Thranduil was hissing from her bed, obviously distressed by the aggressive books.

"Maybe we can tie them up?" Harry suggested as his eyes fell on his belt hanging from his chair.

"You do that." Rohini said. "I'm not willing to get bitten by the book version of Aunt Marge."

"Thanks Rohini." Harry said before jumping off his bed and running towards the chair, the two books suddenly coming after him. Panicked, He jumped on one of them, flattening it, but the second book bit his toes, making him hiss in pain. "Actually, I wouldn't mind some help!" He groaned and Rohini gulped before sizing Harry's flashlight and hitting one of the book with it hard enough to calm it down.

"Give me the belt." She said, tying it up around the odd creature. "Do you have another one?"

"Here." Harry said, handing her his last belt. Rohini buckled it tightly around the book Harry was stepping on and the twins sighed in relief once it was over.

"Why would he send us that?" Harry said, panting and pushing his hair away from his sweaty forehead.

"There's a card, too." Rohini said. It read:

 _Dear Harry, Rohini,_

 _Happy birthday!_

 _Think you might find this useful for next year._

 _Won't say no more here. Tell you when I see you._

 _Hope the Muggles are treating you right._

 _All the best,_

 _Hagrid_

"Why would he thought a biting book would come in useful?" Harry said and Rohini thought about it.

"Call me crazy, but I have a feeling it's related to our new class. You know, Care of Magical Creatures or something like that. What about Hogwarts letter?"

"It's thicker than usual." Harry noticed as he slit the envelope opened.

" _Dear Mr. and Mrs. Potter,_

 _Please note that the new school year will begin on September the first. The Hogwarts Express will leave from King's Cross station, platform nine and three-quarters, at eleven o'clock._

 _Third years are permitted to visit the village of Hogsmeade on certain weekends. Please give the enclosed permissions form to your parent or guardian to sign._

 _A list of books for next year is enclosed._

 _Yours sincerely,_

 _Professor M. McGonagall_

 _Deputy Headmistress"_

"Oh, we're going to be able to visit Hogsmeade!" Rohini said, joyful. "Fred and George told me about it, it sounds delightful!"

"There's only one problem." Harry said, looking grim. "We need Uncle Vernon to sign it."

"Oh." Rohini said, losing her smile. "Damn, that's rotten luck…"

Harry sighed and stood up to close the window when a new owl rushed inside and crashed into Rohini's stomach, making her huff.

"Oh, it's the Patil's owl!" She said, beaming as she untied the little parcel from the owl's legs. The bird hooted and let her scratched him under his beak before flying away. Padma Patil was the first friend Rohini had made at Hogwarts and the person she loved the most after Harry.

Rohini unwrapped the parcel and gasped; inside was a box filled with different pastries, some she recognised and other she hadn't try yet. There was also a journal inside and a card that said:

 _Dear Rohini (and Harry, of course),_

 _Happy Birthday! I hope the pastries will not be all crumbled from the flight. Mum helped me with those after I accidentally let the first set burn. Now she keeps teasing me about being the worst cook of the family. (She doesn't mean it; everybody knows Parvati is the worst cook of the family.)_

 _I hope the Dursleys are treating you well. Dad is still scandalised by your Uncle attitude from when he saw him at King Cross. He told me to tell you that if you feel like you need to run away, our door will always be opened._

 _Ps: I know that you never had a diary before (Riddle's one doesn't count) so I thought you might want to try to keep one! Use it well._

 _Love,_

 _Padma_

"Just so you know," Harry said, "you have a stupid grin on your face."

"Oh, shut up." Rohini groaned, her cheeks burning. "Well, that was one of the best birthdays of my life."

"Don't speak too fast." Harry said, though he too was beaming, "We still have a whole day in front of us."

"And half a night." Rohini added before yawning. "Well, goodnight Harry!"

"Goodnight, Rohini." Harry said sleepily as they both go to bed.

As they both finally fell asleep, they heard a dog howling somewhere in the street. ' _Maybe it's wishing us Happy Birthday, too._ ' Was Rohini's silly thought before her eyes closed and she began to snore.

 **XX**

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 **Yes, I said I was going to take a break between Part one and Part two. Looks like I'm unable to rest properly, heh... Hope you guys will like the third part of the Harry as a twin!AU as much as the two first!**


	2. Chapter 2

Rohini didn't hear Harry leave the room earlier than her. It was his turn to do the morning house chores and so Rohini had been able to sleep longer. She finally awoke as Thranduil hissed loudly at Errol who, after a good rest, seemed ready to leave.

"Try not to die on your way back." Rohini said, giving him a little kiss on the head before letting the owl fly away. The sky was cloudless and the birds were singing. It was a beautiful day so far.

When she went downstairs, the three Dursleys were sitting around the kitchen table, finishing the breakfast that Harry had made for them. He smiled at Rohini when she joined him by the sink.

"I'll clean it if you want." Rohini said, nodding at the dirty pan Harry was holding.

"Nah, I'm good. I saved you some eggs and bacon." He said, pointing at the plate he had left on top of the microwave. Rohini thanked him and glanced at the brand new television. The reporter on the screen was halfway through a report on an escaped convict:

 _"…_ _The public is warned that Black is armed and extremely dangerous. A special hot line has been set up, and any sighting of Black should be reported immediately."_

"No need to tell us he's no good," snorted Uncle Vernon, staring over the top of his newspaper at the prisoner. "Look at the state of him, the filthy layabout! Look at his hair!"

He shot a nasty look sideways at the twins whose untidy hair had always been a source of great annoyance to Uncle Vernon. Rohini thought that her own haircut wasn't so bad next to the man's long, tangled mane.

The reporter had reappeared.

 _"_ _The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries will announce today—"_

"Hang on!" barked Uncle Vernon, staring furiously at the reporter. "You didn't tell us where that maniac's escaped from! What use is that? Lunatic could be coming up the street right now!"

Aunt Petunia stood up and peered intently out of the kitchen window, probably wishing to be the one to call the hot line number. She was the nosiest woman in the world and spent most of her life spying on the boring, law-abiding neighbors. Rohini secretly hoped Black will break into the house and deal with the Dursleys for them.

"When will they learn," said Uncle Vernon, pounding the table with his large purple fist, "that hanging's the only way to deal with these people?"

"Very true," said Aunt Petunia, who was still squinting into next door's runner beans.

"That's barbaric." Rohini said with a frown.

"You're barbaric." Dudley said before filling his mouth with two muffins at the same time.

"Oh, look, Dudley learnt a new word! But does he really know what it means, I wonder?" Rohini said sarcastically.

"Careful, girl." Uncle Vernon said, pointing a menacing finger at her. "You still live under our roof." Then, he glanced at his watch, and added, "I'd better be off in a minute, Petunia. Marge's train gets in at ten."

Harry, who had been drinking a glass of juice, spat it on Rohini who was too shocked to react.

"Aunt Marge is coming?" She blurted out. "Since when?!"

"Great." Harry breathed between his clenched teeth.

Aunt Marge was Uncle Vernon's sister. She lived in the country, in a house with a large garden, where she bred bulldogs. She didn't often stay at Privet Drive, because she couldn't bear to leave her precious dogs. She was the meanest person on earth and ugly both on the inside and the outside.

At Dudley's fifth birthday party, Aunt Marge had whacked Harry around the shins with her walking stick to stop him from beating Dudley at musical statues. A few years later, she had turned up at Christmas with a computerized robot for Dudley and a box of dog biscuits for the twins. She had more venom to spit than a Basilisk and Rohini wished she could lock her into a secret chamber for the next few centuries.

"Marge'll be here for a week," Uncle Vernon snarled, "and while we're on the subject"—he pointed a fat finger at the twins—"we need to get a few things straight before I go and collect her."

Dudley smirked and withdrew his gaze from the television. Watching his cousins being bullied by Uncle Vernon was Dudley's favorite form of entertainment.

"Firstly," growled Uncle Vernon, "you'll keep a civil tongue in your head when you're talking to Marge."

"All right," said Harry bitterly, "if she does when she's talking to us."

"Secondly," said Uncle Vernon, acting as though he had not heard Harry's reply, "as Marge doesn't know anything about your abnormality, I don't want any—any funny stuff while she's here. You behave yourself, got me?"

"Just like we always do." Rohini said casually while looking at her nails and Uncle Vernon stared at her suspiciously.

"And thirdly," said Uncle Vernon, his mean little eyes now lits in his great purple face, "we've told Marge you attend _St. Brutus's Secure Center for Incurably Criminal Boys_."

"What?" Harry yelled.

"And you'll be sticking to that story, boy, or there'll be trouble," spat Uncle Vernon. "And you- you're now staying at a private school held by nuns in order to become a normal, potential housewife once you hit majority."

"You must be kidding me!" Rohini said, not sure if she should laugh, cry or try to make Uncle Vernon choke on the piece of bread she was holding. Harry was white faced and obviously furious. Aunt Marge coming for a week-long visit—it was the worst birthday present the Dursleys had ever given them.

"Well, Petunia," said Uncle Vernon, getting heavily to his feet, "I'll be off to the station, then. Want to come along for the ride, Dudders?"

"No," said Dudley, whose attention had returned to the television.

"Duddy's got to make himself smart for his auntie," said Aunt Petunia, smoothing Dudley's thick blond hair. "Mummy's bought him a lovely new bow tie."

Uncle Vernon clapped Dudley on his porky shoulder.

"See you in a bit, then," he said, and he left the kitchen.

Harry followed Uncle Vernon to the front door and Rohini went after him, curious of what he had to say.

Uncle Vernon was pulling on his car coat when the two of them stepped outside.

"I'm not taking you," he snarled when he saw them looking at him.

"Like we wanted to come," said Harry coldly. "I want to ask you something."

Uncle Vernon eyed him suspiciously and Rohini raised an eyebrow.

"Third years at Hog—at our school are allowed to visit the village sometimes," said Harry and Rohini finally understood what it was all about.

"So?" snapped Uncle Vernon, sitting behind the wheel.

"We need you to sign the permission form." Rohini said.

"And why should I do that?" sneered Uncle Vernon.

"Well," said Harry, choosing his words carefully, "it'll be hard work, pretending to Aunt Marge I go to that St. Whatsits—"

"St. Brutus's Secure Center for Incurably Criminal Boys!" bellowed Uncle Vernon.

"Yeah, that's quite a long name, don't you think, Harry?" Rohini asked innocently, noticing that Uncle Vernon seemed slightly panicked now.

"Yeah, it is." said Harry, looking calmly up into Uncle Vernon's large, purple face. "It's a lot to remember. I'll have to make it sound convincing, won't I? What if I accidentally let something slip?"

"You'll get the stuffing knocked out of you, won't you?" roared Uncle Vernon, advancing on Harry with his fist raised. Rohini stepped in front of her brother and her Uncle froze. She had always been more of a Hurricane than Harry when furious.

"Knocking the stuffing out of us will probably mess up with our brain _and_ memory." Rohini said.

"And it won't make Aunt Marge forget what we might have said." Harry added coldly. "But if you sign our permission forms…" he went on quickly.

"…Then, maybe we'll remember how to behave like a criminal boy and a proper religious girl." Rohini finished with a smile.

Uncle Vernon was thinking it over, his teeth bared and a vein was throbbing in his temple. It obviously wasn't worth risking his sister's sanity.

"Right," he snapped finally. "I shall monitor your behaviour carefully during Marge's visit. If, at the end of it, you've toed the line and kept to the story, I'll sign your ruddy form."

"Good." Rohini said before pulling Harry by the sleeve as their Uncle slapped the door of his car shut with so much violence a little crack appeared on top of the window.

The twins went back to the bedroom they shared and sighed as they realised what a week with Aunt Marge meant.

"Me, religious? A future Housewife?" Rohini said, pacing the floor as Harry poked Hedwig awake. His owl will have to go if they had to pretend to be Muggles for the next few days.

"Hedwig," he said gloomily, "you're going to have to clear off for a week. Ron'll look after you. I'll write him a note, explaining. And don't look at me like that"—Hedwig's large amber eyes were reproachful—"it's not my fault. It's the only way I'll be allowed to visit Hogsmeade with Ron and Hermione."

Then the twins put all their school supplies and Hedwig's empty cage in their closet.

"What should I do about Thranduil?" Rohini asked as her cat rubbed his head against her ankle. "I'm sure Marge will have one of her ugly dogs with her. He's going to feel so distressed…"

"Maybe you could ask Mrs. Figg to keep an eye on him for you?" Harry suggested. Mrs. Figg was a widow living close to 4 Privet Drive and who used to babysit them. She was a friendly old lady who baked really dry cookies and whose house smelt like cabbage. She was also notorious for her love of cats and Rohini had to admit it might not be a bad idea.

Picking up Thranduil, she went downstairs and asked Aunt Petunia if she could go visit Mrs. Figg so she could keep Thranduil for her. Her aunt pinched her lips and nodded; she wasn't fond of cats and probably hoped Rohini will just forget about him and never brought him back.

Mrs. Figg was absolutely delighted and promised to take good care of Thranduil. She invited Rohini inside her house for a glass of apple juice for it was quite hot outside. Rohini almost asked if she could stay for the week too but then remembered the promise they had made to Uncle Vernon.

Speaking of him, Rohini saw his car passing in front of Miss Figg and sighed loudly, resigned to spend the worse week of the whole summer. Truth to be told, she would almost be happier spending it with the Malfoys and Merlin knew how much she despised them.

Aunt Marge was very like Uncle Vernon: large, beefy, and purple-faced, she even had a moustache, though not as bushy as his. Harry was just opening the door when Rohini arrived. In one hand Aunt Marge held an enormous suitcase, and tucked under the other was an old and evil-tempered bulldog.

"Hurry up and help your Aunt!" Uncle Vernon barked at Rohini when he saw her and with a grunt she picked up the heavy suitcase that weighted probably twice as much as her. Aunt Marge barely glanced at her before roaring:

"Where's my Dudders? Where's my neffy-poo?"

Dudley came waddling down the hall, his blond hair plastered flat to his fat head, a bow tie just visible under his many chins, before being seized in a tight one-armed hug, and got a large kiss planted on his cheek.

"Oh, you're still there." She then spat at Harry who forced a polite smile on his face before shouting "Petunia!" and striding past Harry as though he was a hat stand. Aunt Marge and Aunt Petunia kissed, or rather, Aunt Marge bumped her large jaw against Aunt Petunia's bony cheekbone.

Uncle Vernon now came in, smiling jovially as he shut the door and pushed Rohini out of his way.

"Tea, Marge?" he said. "And what will Ripper take?"

"Ripper can have some tea out of my saucer," said Aunt Marge as they all proceeded into the kitchen, leaving the twins alone in the hall with the suitcase. Exchanging a tired glance, they carried the suitcase to the spare room and Rohini took the time to scream into a pillow before going back downstairs.

By the time they got back to the kitchen, Aunt Marge had been supplied with tea and fruitcake, and Ripper was lapping noisily in the corner. Harry saw Aunt Petunia wince slightly as specks of tea and drool flecked her clean floor. Rohini was grimacing too for she knew it would be her job to clean up this mess.

"Who's looking after the other dogs, Marge?" Uncle Vernon asked.

"Oh, I've got Colonel Fubster managing them," boomed Aunt Marge. "He's retired now, good for him to have something to do. But I couldn't leave poor old Ripper. He pines if he's away from me."

Ripper began to growl again as the twins sat down.

"So!" she barked. "Haven't left this house yet?"

"You wish." Rohini mumbled and Harry elbowed her to remind her of their promise. "I mean, Yes, we're still here for the summer."

"Don't you say 'yes' in that ungrateful tone," Aunt Marge growled. "It's damn good of Vernon and Petunia to keep you. Wouldn't have done it myself. You'd have gone straight to an orphanage if you'd been dumped on my doorstep."

Harry forced his face into a painful smile and Rohini did the same. ' _Think of Hogsmeade._ ' She thought.

"Don't you smirk at me!" boomed Aunt Marge. "I can see you haven't improved since I last saw you. I hoped school would knock some manners into you." She took a large gulp of tea, wiped her mustache, and said, "Where is it that you send them again, Vernon?"

"St. Brutus's," said Uncle Vernon promptly. "It's a first-rate institution for hopeless cases."

"I see," said Aunt Marge. "Do they use the cane at St. Brutus's, boy?" she barked across the table.

"Er—"

Uncle Vernon nodded curtly behind Aunt Marge's back.

"Yes," said Harry. Then, feeling he might as well do the thing properly, he added, "all the time."

"Excellent," said Aunt Marge. "I won't have this namby-pamby, wishy-washy nonsense about not hitting people who deserve it. A good thrashing is what's needed in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred. Have you been beaten often?"

"Oh, yeah," said Harry, "loads of times."

Aunt Marge narrowed her eyes before shaking her head.

"Petunia, I'd write if I were you. Make it clear that you approve the use of extreme force in this boy's case. And what about you?" She barked at Rohini who straightened up.

"I'm studying at a Catholic school." She lied, trying to look modest and humble. "The nuns are very strict, too. We go to Church every day before classes."

"I hope they still hit you with a ruler and make you kneel until you've learnt your lesson." Aunt Marge said and Rohini nodded. "Though I'm sorry Vernon, but I doubt the Lord will be able to save this one. Smell like a sinner." She said, sniffing loudly.

Rohini would have gladly told her that the only stinky smell came from under Aunt Marge's sweaty armpits but Uncle Vernon silenced her with a warning glance.

Perhaps he was worried that Harry and she might forget their bargain; in any case, he changed the subject abruptly.

"Heard the news this morning, Marge? What about that escaped prisoner, eh?"

And as the discussion turned to Black, Rohini wished once again that the escaped prisoner will break into Private Drive and put an end to their misery.

Two days later, Rohini caught herself thinking that Aunt Marge was the Muggle equivalent of Lord Voldemort in the sense that they both turned their lives a living hell. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia usually encouraged them to stay out of their way, which Harry and Rohini was only too happy to do. Aunt Marge, on the other hand, wanted them under her eye at all times, so that she could boom out suggestions for their improvement.

She delighted in comparing Harry with Dudley, and took huge pleasure in saying Rohini looked too androgynous and how Aunt Petunia must feel terrible about it ("Must be a shame, to raise three boys instead of two and a girl"). She also kept throwing out dark hints about the Potters genetics.

"You mustn't blame yourself for the way they both turned out, Vernon," she said over lunch on the third day. "If there's something rotten on the inside, there's nothing anyone can do about it."

Rohini stabbed her steak a bit too strongly and Harry was turning red, his jaw tensed and his eyes shining dangerously. Uncle Vernon's smile was obviously forced as exchanged a nervous glance with Aunt Petunia.

Aunt Marge reached for her glass of wine.

"It's one of the basic rules of breeding," she said. "You see it all the time with dogs. If there's something wrong with the bitch, there'll be something wrong with the pup—"

At that moment, the wineglass Aunt Marge was holding exploded in her hand. Shards of glass flew in every direction and Aunt Marge sputtered and blinked, her great ruddy face dripping.

"Marge!" squealed Aunt Petunia. "Marge, are you all right?"

"Not to worry," grunted Aunt Marge, mopping her face with her napkin. "Must have squeezed it too hard. Did the same thing at Colonel Fubster's the other day. No need to fuss, Petunia, I have a very firm grip…"

But Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon were both looking at the twins suspiciously and Rohini hold their gazes until Harry whispered at her that they should leave the table now.

Outside in the hall, he leaned against the wall, breathing deeply while Rohini crossed her arm and bit her tongue to stop the frustrated scream that wanted to leave her throat. There was no way of knowing if it has been Harry doing or hers. They both looked furious enough to lose control of their powers and it was a dangerous thing to do. The Hogsmeade form wasn't the only thing at stake—if they both carried on like that, they could be in trouble with the Minister of Magic for underage use of magic.

"Just four more days." Harry said and Rohini nodded. "Four more days, and she's gone."

Xxx

At last, at long last, the final evening of Marge's stay arrived. Aunt Petunia cooked a fancy dinner and Uncle Vernon uncorked several bottles of wine. They got all the way through the soup and the salmon without a single mention of the twins who were eating silently. During the lemon meringue pie, Uncle Vernon bored them all with a long talk about _Grunnings_ , his drill-making company; then Aunt Petunia made coffee and Uncle Vernon brought out a bottle of brandy.

"Can I tempt you, Marge?"

Aunt Marge had already had quite a lot of wine. Her huge face was very red and she was a bit cross-eyed.

"Just a small one, then," she chuckled. "A bit more than that… and a bit more… that's the ticket."

Dudley was eating his fourth slice of pie with disgusting noises. Rohini grimaced and pushed her own slice away, suddenly not hungry. Aunt Marge shook her head as she noticed it, mumbling about moody rebellious teenager that thought being anorexic made them popular.

"I do like to see a healthy-sized boy," she said, winking at Dudley. "You'll be a proper-sized man, Dudders, like your father. Yes, I'll have a spot more brandy, Vernon…"

"Now, those two here—"

She jerked her head at the twins. Rohini pretended she didn't heard her and instead stood up and picked up the empty plates as an excuse to exile into the kitchen.

"This one's got a mean, runty look about him. You get that with dogs. I had Colonel Fubster drown one last year. Ratty little thing it was. Weak. Underbred."

"Excuse me?" Rohini said, turning on her heels to stare furiously at the awful woman. Harry called her name, probably trying to calm her down, though he looked just as angry. Aunt Marge's piggy eyes were shining cruelly.

"It all comes down to blood, as I was saying the other day. Bad blood will out. Now, I'm saying nothing against your family, Petunia"—she patted Aunt Petunia's bony hand with her shovellike one—"but your sister was a bad egg. They turn up in the best families. Then she ran off with a wastrel and here's the result right in front of us."

Rohini barely noticed that her vision was getting blurred because of the intense wrath boiling inside of her. Her hands were trembling, clenching the plates so hard it was surprising they didn't break. Harry was trembling too, holding his fork like a wand.

"This Potter," said Aunt Marge loudly, seizing the brandy bottle and splashing more into her glass and over the tablecloth, "you never told me what he did?"

Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia were looking extremely tense. Dudley had even looked up from his pie to gape at his parents.

"He—didn't work," said Uncle Vernon, with half a glance at the twins. "Unemployed."

"As I expected!" said Aunt Marge, taking a huge swig of brandy and wiping her chin on her sleeve. "A no-account, good-for-nothing, lazy scrounger who—"

She didn't have time to finish; Rohini had grabbed the bottle of brandy with her left hand and was now pouring it all over Aunt Marge's froggy face. The table went very quiet for a few seconds. Then, once the bottle was empty, Rohini put it on the table as well as the dirty plates and smiled.

"I think it's time for Harry and I to go to bed." She said, ready to leave but her Aunt caught her by the wrist.

"Proud of your parents, I presume?" She said as Rohini tried to free herself. "Want to be like them, all unemployed and dying in a car crash because they were drunk, those little-"

"They didn't die in a car crash!" said Harry, who found himself on his feet. The Hogsmeade permissions were all forgotten now.

"They died in a car crash, you nasty little liar, and left you to be a burden on their decent, hardworking relatives!" screamed Aunt Marge, swelling with fury. "You are an insolent, ungrateful little—"

But Aunt Marge suddenly yelled in pain as Rohini had stabbed her fat little fingers with a fork to free herself and stood up next to Harry as an unnatural wind began to blow inside the house. Dudley yelled in fear and hid behind his mother who was turning pale. Uncle Vernon looked as if he had been forced to swallow one of his drills and as for Aunt Marge, it looked as though words had failed her.

She seemed to be swelling with inexpressible anger—but the swelling didn't stop. Her great red face started to expand, her tiny eyes bulged, and her mouth stretched too tightly for speech—next second, several buttons had just burst from her tweed jacket and pinged off the walls—she was inflating like a monstrous balloon, her stomach bursting free of her tweed waistband, each of her fingers blowing up like a salami.

"MARGE!" yelled Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia together as Aunt Marge's whole body began to rise off her chair toward the ceiling. She was entirely round, now, like a vast life buoy with piggy eyes, and her hands and feet stuck out weirdly as she drifted up into the air, making apoplectic popping noises. Ripper came skidding into the room, barking madly.

"NOOOOOOO!"

Uncle Vernon seized one of Marge's feet and tried to pull her down again, but was almost lifted from the floor himself. A second later, Ripper leapt forward and sank his teeth into Uncle Vernon's leg. Rohini would have gladly kept watching but Harry sprinted out of the kitchen and she decided to go after him.

"We're leaving." He said, running upstairs. Rohini heard him slamming the door of their bedroom opened. Meanwhile, she used the hairpin she was keeping inside her pocket to unlock the Cupboard under the stairs where the rest of their school supplies were. In less than 5 minutes, they were ready to leave, pulling their trunks after them and with their empty cages under one arm.

As they stepped outside, they saw Aunt Marge screaming and flying out of the house. Uncle Vernon burst out and grabbed Harry by the arm.

"PUT HER RIGHT!" He spat to his face. Rohini pushed him off her brother and pointed her wand at Uncle Vernon.

"You better let us go if you don't want to end up like her." She threatened him. "I would gladly turn you into the little disgusting rat that you are."

"We're leaving." Harry said.

And in the next moment, they were walking down the quiet street without a final glance neither to Private Drive nor to Aunt Marge whose screams were becoming fainter as she flew far, far away.

 **Notes:** **Rule number one: Smile and pretend to be fine.**  
 **Rule number two: Break rule number one and turn your bully of a relative into a balloon.**


	3. Chapter 3

They walked in silence for a while, Rohini leading. She asked Harry to hide while she went to Mrs. Figg's house to pick up Thranduil. The old lady seemed a bit sad to see him go and offered Rohini a bag filled with lavender biscuits she had made over the afternoon.

Then, the twins walked down several streets before Harry collapsed onto a low wall in Magnolia Crescent, panting from the effort of dragging his trunk. Rohini did the same. They sat still, listening to the frantic thumping of their hearts.

"Well." Rohini finally said, glancing at Harry. "I've always thought she looked like a huge balloon."

"You do realise what it means for us, right?" Harry said, looking at her tiredly. "We have just done serious magic, which meant that we can probably say goodbye to Hogwarts. We have broken the Decree for the Restriction of Underage Wizardry so badly, I'm surprised we haven't been arrested yet."

"Don't be so dramatic." Rohini frowned. "Arrested? Harry, we're both thirteen! Do you really believe they will, what, put us in Azkaban?"

"Oh yeah, everything is always much easier with you isn't it? Come on, tell me what you think is going to happen." Harry snapped and Rohini clenched her fists.

"Don't be a prick, Harry. Not now."

"Go on, tell me!" Harry shoot, now standing in front of her. "We don't have Muggle money! Do you expect us to be able to drag our trunk all the way to London? Or do you expect to hide under dad's cloak and fly away into the night?"

"No, of course not." Rohini said with a frown. "And for your information, I have Muggle money." Rohini said, going through her trunk and pulling out a little pouch that she threw at Harry. "See?"

"How did you get it?" Harry asked. "Did you steal it?"

"Do I look like a thief to you?" Rohini snapped before taking a deep breath, trying to calm down. "No, I got it at Gringotts last summer. I saw the Grangers exchanging some Pounds for wizard gold which meant the opposite transaction was probably possible. Before leaving the bank, I went to a Goblin and asked for a change."

"Oh." Harry said.

"Yes, oh." Rohini sighed, resting her forehead against her knees. She couldn't remember the last time Harry and she had a fight. Of course, there was a few silly pouting from time to time but it was probably their first real argument since they were eight. (Rohini couldn't remember what it had been about exactly, only that it involved dirty dishes and a severe punishment.)

"Sorry." Harry said as he sat next to her. "I shouldn't have yelled at you."

"It's ok, I get it." Rohini said. "It had been a long week for us."

"At least we're sure Aunt Marge will never come back now." Harry said and they chuckled weakly.

"Thanks god. Do you think someone from the Minister has turned her back to normal by now or she will be like Peter Pan and… Neverland?" Rohini said.

"That was a terrible pun." Harry said, half grinning. "Terrible, really."

A funny prickling on the back of his neck made Rohini froze. Were they being spied on? Harry must have feel it too, for he was glancing around with a frown. The street appeared to be deserted, and no lights shone from any of the large square houses. But Rohini knew better than to feel safe yet and she pulled her wand out of her pocket jeans and stood up slowly.

"Lumos." She whispered. Light appeared at the end of her wand, almost dazzling her. She stood up, taking a step closer to the narrow gap between the garage and the fence in front of them. She waved at Harry to stand up behind her for his wand was still in his trunk.

The pebble-dashed walls of number two suddenly sparkled; the garage door gleamed, and between them they saw saw, quite distinctly, the hulking outline of something very big, with wide, gleaming eyes. A stray dog?

The animal barked and surprised, the twins stepped backward. Harry hit his legs against his trunk and tripped, grabbing Rohini by her sleeve and pulling her into his fall. Thranduil was hissing furiously now, trying to force his way out of his cage.

There was a deafening BANG, and Harry pulled Rohini away, right in time; A second later, a gigantic pair of wheels and headlights screeched to a halt exactly where she had just been lying. They belonged to a triple-decker, violently purple bus, which had appeared out of thin air. Gold lettering over the windshield spelled _The Knight Bus._

"What the heck?" Rohini squealed, her heart ready to pump out of her chest. Yet another close to death experience for her…

A conductor in a purple uniform leapt out of the bus and began to speak loudly to the night.

"Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. Just stick out your wand hand, step on board, and we can take you anywhere you want to go. My name is Stan Shunpike, and I will be your conductor this eve—"

The conductor stopped abruptly. He had just caught sight of the twins, still lying on the ground. Harry scrambled to his feet and helped Rohini on hers. Stan Shunpike looked only a few years older than them, eighteen or nineteen at most, with large, protruding ears and quite a few pimples.

"What were you doin' down there?" said Stan, dropping his professional manner.

"Fell over," said Harry.

"'Choo fall over for?" sniggered Stan.

"Gravity." Rohini said, deadpan.

"We didn't do it on purpose," said Harry, annoyed. One of the knees in his jeans was torn, and the hand he had thrown out to break his fall was bleeding. Rohini had been luckier for she had fallen over him. They suddenly remembered why they had fallen over in the first place and turned around quickly to stare at the alleyway between the garage and fence. _The Knight Bus_ 's headlamps were flooding it with light, and it was empty.

"'Choo lookin' at?" said Stan.

"There was a dog earlier." Rohini said while picking up Thranduil's cage. Her cat looked quite crazy on this instant, spatting and hissing. Rohini winced as his pointy claws began to attack her poor hands. "Thranduil, calm down!"

"Woss that on your 'ead?" said Stan abruptly to Harry.

"Nothing," said Harry quickly, flattening his hair over his scar.

"Woss your name?" Stan persisted.

"Neville Longbottom," said Harry, saying the first name that came into his head. "And this is my sister, Molly." He lied again. "So—so this bus," he went on quickly, "did you say it goes anywhere?"

"Yep," said Stan proudly, "anywhere you like, long's it's on land. Can't do nuffink underwater. 'Ere," he said, looking suspicious again, "you did flag us down, dincha? Stuck out your wand 'and, dincha?"

"I did, yeah." Rohini said quickly. "How much is a ride?"

"Depends where you' goin'."

"London." Harry said quickly.

"Eleven Sickles each, then." said Stan, "but for firteen you get 'ot chocolate, and for fifteen you get an 'ot water bottle an' a toofbrush in the color of your choice."

"I wouldn't mind a cup of hot chocolate, right now." Rohini said and Harry hurried to pay for them both. Then they get inside the bus while Stan dealt with their trunks and Hedwig's cage.

"Oh!" Rohini said, surprised.

There were no seats; instead, half a dozen brass bedsteads stood beside the curtained windows. Candles were burning in brackets beside each bed, illuminating the wood-paneled walls.

"You 'ave this one," Stan said, shoving Harry's trunk under the bed right behind the driver, who was sitting in an armchair in front of the steering wheel. "And you can 'ave the one behind." He told Rohini before turning to the driver.

"This is our driver, Ernie Prang. This is Neville Longbottom and his sister Molly, Ern."

Ernie Prang was an elderly wizard wearing very thick glasses and looking half asleep. Rohini was beginning to doubt that it have been a good idea to get inside and judging by Harry's look, so did he.

"Take 'er away, Ern," said Stan, sitting down in the armchair next to Ernie's.

There was another tremendous BANG, and the next moment they fell flat on their bed, thrown backward by the speed of the Knight Bus. Thranduil who had calmed down a bit was now hissing again and butchering Rohini's hands.

"How come the Muggles don't hear the bus?" said Harry.

"Them!" said Stan contemptuously. "Don' listen properly, do they? Don' look properly either. Never notice nuffink, they don'."

"Best go wake up Madam Marsh, Stan," said Ern. "We'll be in Abergavenny in a minute."

Stan disappeared up a narrow wooden staircase. Rohini was looking a bit pale, her stomach feeling a quite funny. Ernie didn't seem to have mastered the use of a steering wheel _. The Knight Bus_ kept mounting the pavement, but it didn't hit anything; lines of lampposts, mailboxes, and trash cans jumped out of its way as it approached and back into position once it had passed.

Stan came back downstairs, followed by a faintly green witch wrapped in a traveling cloak.

"'Ere you go, Madam Marsh," said Stan happily as Ern stamped on the brake and the beds slid a foot or so toward the front of the bus. Madam Marsh clamped a handkerchief to her mouth and tottered down the steps. Stan threw her bag out after her and rammed the doors shut; there was another loud BANG, and they were thundering down a narrow country lane, trees leaping out of the way.

"Oh, I forgot about your chocolate!" Stan said, disappearing again and coming back with two steamy cups. The twins miraculously managed not to spill their hot chocolates on them though Rohini burned her tongue and chocked on a sip as the bus took a sharp turn.

Stan had unfurled a copy of the Daily Prophet and was now reading with his tongue between his teeth. A large photograph of a sunken-faced man with long, matted hair was on the front page. He looked strangely familiar.

"That man!" Harry said, forgetting his troubles for a moment. "He was on the Muggle news!"

"Black something, I think." Rohini said as the man slowly blinked at them.

Stanley turned to the front page and chuckled.

"Sirius Black," he said, nodding. "'Course 'e was on the Muggle news, Neville, where you been?"

"Living with Muggles, obviously." Rohini said, annoyed.

Stan gave a superior sort of chuckle and removed the front page that he handed to Harry.

"You oughta read the papers more, you two."

Harry held the paper up to the candlelight and read aloud:

 _BLACK STILL AT LARGE_

 _Sirius Black, possibly the most infamous prisoner ever to be held in Azkaban fortress, is still eluding capture, the Ministry of Magic confirmed today._

 _"_ _We are doing all we can to recapture Black," said the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, this morning, "and we beg the magical community to remain calm."_

 _Fudge has been criticized by some members of the International Federation of Warlocks for informing the Muggle Prime Minister of the crisis._

 _"_ _Well, really, I had to, don't you know," said an irritable Fudge. "Black is mad. He's a danger to anyone who crosses him, magic or Muggle. I have the Prime Minister's assurance that he will not breathe a word of Black's true identity to anyone. And let's face it—who'd believe him if he did?"_

 _While Muggles have been told that Black is carrying a gun (a kind of metal wand that Muggles use to kill each other), the magical community lives in fear of a massacre like that of twelve years ago, when Black murdered thirteen people with a single curse._

The twins looked into the shadowed eyes of Sirius Black, the only part of the sunken face that seemed alive. Rohini felt like he was probably younger than what his appearance suggested.

"Scary-lookin' fing, inee?" said Stan, who had been watching them.

"He murdered thirteen people?" said Harry, handing the page back to Stan, "with one curse?"

"Yep," said Stan, "in front of witnesses an' all. Broad daylight. Big trouble it caused, dinnit, Ern?"

"Ar," said Ern darkly.

Stan swivelled in his armchair, smirking. Rohini find him quite irritating and hoped the ride will end soon.

"Black woz a big supporter of You-Know-'Oo," he said.

"What, Voldemort?" said Harry, without thinking.

Even Stan's pimples went white; Ern jerked the steering wheel so hard that a whole farmhouse had to jump aside to avoid the bus and Rohini groaned as she hit the wall in the process.

"You outta your tree?" yelped Stan. "'Choo say 'is name for?"

"Sorry," said Harry hastily. "Sorry, I—I forgot—"

"Forgot!" said Stan weakly. "Blimey, my 'eart's goin' that fast…"

"So Black was a supporter of You-Know-Who?" Rohini asked, not in the mood for a lecture about Voldemort's name.

"Yeah," said Stan, still rubbing his chest. "Yeah, that's right. Very close to You-Know-'Oo, they say. Anyway, when little 'Arry Potter got the better of You-Know-'Oo—"

Harry nervously flattened his bangs down again.

"—all You-Know-'Oo's supporters was tracked down, wasn't they, Ern? Most of 'em knew it was all over, wiv You-Know-'Oo gone, and they came quiet. But not Sirius Black. I 'eard he thought 'e'd be second-in-command once You-Know-'Oo 'ad taken over.

"Anyway, they cornered Black in the middle of a street full of Muggles an' Black took out 'is wand and 'e blasted 'alf the street apart, an' a wizard got it, an' so did a dozen Muggles what got in the way. 'Orrible, eh? An' you know what Black did then?" Stan continued in a dramatic whisper.

"What?" said Harry.

"Laughed," said Stan. "Jus' stood there an' laughed. An' when reinforcements from the Ministry of Magic got there, 'e went wiv 'em quiet as anyfink, still laughing 'is 'ead off. 'Cos 'e's mad, inee, Ern? Inee mad?"

"If he weren't when he went to Azkaban, he will be now," said Ern in his slow voice. "I'd blow meself up before I set foot in that place. Serves him right, mind you… after what he did…"

"They 'ad a job coverin' it up, din' they, Ern?" Stan said. "'Ole street blown up an' all them Muggles dead. What was it they said 'ad 'appened, Ern?"

"Gas explosion," grunted Ernie.

"An' now 'e's out," said Stan, examining the newspaper picture of Black's gaunt face again. "Never been a breakout from Azkaban before, 'as there, Ern? Beats me 'ow 'e did it. Frightenin', eh? Mind, I don't fancy 'is chances against them Azkaban guards, eh, Ern?"

Ernie suddenly shivered.

"Talk about summat else, Stan, there's a good lad. Them Azkaban guards give me the collywobbles."

Stan put the paper away reluctantly but Rohini asked if she could have it. She hadn't read anything related to the Wizardly world in a while and so she tried to read the newspaper during the rest of the awful ride.

The _Knight Bus_ rolled through the darkness, scattering bushes and wastebaskets, telephone booths and trees. One by one, wizards and witches in dressing gowns and slippers descended from the upper floors to leave the bus. They all looked very pleased to go.

Finally, the twins were the only passenger left.

"Right then." said Stan, clapping his hands, "Whereabouts in London?"

"Diagon Alley," Rohini answered. She had guessed Harry's plan as soon as he had spoken of London. It was a wise choice; if they were a murderer on the loose, better be with wizards and witches that could fight him than surrounded by harmless muggles.

That, and they could always rent a room at the Leaky Cauldron while waiting for the Minister of Magic to contact them.

"Righto," said Stan. "'Old tight, then…"

BANG!

They were thundering along Charing Cross Road. The sky was getting a little lighter. Ern slammed on the brakes and the _Knight Bus_ skidded to a halt in front of a small and shabby-looking pub, the Leaky Cauldron, behind which lay the magical entrance to Diagon Alley. Rohini was the first one outside, trying to make her nausea pass as Harry helped Stan with their trunks and Hedwig's cage.

"You ok?" Stan asked and Rohini made an ok sign with her fingers for she didn't trust herself to talk.

"Well," said Harry. "'Bye then!"

But Stan wasn't paying attention. Still standing in the doorway to the bus, he was goggling at the shadowy entrance to the Leaky Cauldron.

"There you are, Harry," said a voice. "And Rohini too, of course. Never far away from each other."

A hand fell on each twin's shoulder. At the same time, Stan shouted, "Blimey! Ern, come 'ere! Come 'ere!"

Rohini and Harry turned their heads slowly and gulped. Standing right behind them with a smile on his face was Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic himself. Troubles always found them quickly, in the end.


	4. Chapter 4

Rohini had already thought of ten different punishments for their law breaking actions when Stan leapt onto the pavement beside them.

"What didja call Neville and Molly, Minister?" he said excitedly.

Fudge, a portly little man in a long, pinstriped cloak, looked cold and exhausted.

"Neville?" he repeated, frowning. "This is Harry Potter and his sister Rohini."

"I knew it!" Stan shouted gleefully. "Ern! Ern! Guess 'oo Neville is, Ern! 'E's 'Arry Potter and his twin! I can see 'is scar!"

Rohini wondered if there will be a day where it will be "Rohini Potter and her brother" and not "Harry Potter and his sister". It was quite unlikely, considering that Harry was the one who defeated Lord Voldemort when they were barely one year old.

"Yes," said Fudge testily, "well, I'm very glad the Knight Bus picked them up, but them and I need to step inside the Leaky Cauldron now…"

Fudge increased the pressure on the twins' shoulders and steered them inside the pub. A stooping figure bearing a lantern appeared through the door behind the bar. It was Tom, the wizened, toothless landlord that looked a bit like a peanut.

"You've got him, Minister!" said Tom. "Will you be wanting anything? Beer? Brandy?"

"Perhaps a pot of tea," said Fudge, who still hadn't let go of the twins.

There was a loud scraping and puffing from behind them, and Stan and Ern appeared, carrying their trunks and Hedwig's cage and looking around excitedly. Rohini was still carrying Thranduil's cage and luckily for her hands, her cat had finally calmed down and fell asleep.

"'Ow come you di'n't tell us 'oo you are, eh, Neville?" said Stan, beaming at Harry, while Ernie's owlish face peered interestedly over Stan's shoulder.

"And a private parlor, please, Tom," said Fudge pointedly.

"'Bye," Harry said miserably to Stan and Ern as Tom beckoned Fudge toward the passage that led from the bar.

"'Bye, Neville!" called Stan. "Bye, Molly!" but Rohini didn't answer, too nervous about being left alone with Harry and the Minister.

They walked silently along the narrow passage after Tom's lantern, and then into a small parlor. Tom clicked his fingers, a fire burst into life in the grate, and he bowed himself out of the room.

"Sit down, you two." said Fudge, indicating a couch by the fire.

Rohini obeyed and the twins sat close to each other which seemed to amuse Fudge. The Minister took off his pinstriped cloak and tossed it aside, then hitched up the trousers of his bottle-green suit and sat down on an armchair in front of the twins.

"I am Cornelius Fudge, Harry. The Minister of Magic. I've already had the pleasure to meet your sister last year."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Fudge." Harry croaked nervously.

What Fudge didn't know was that Harry already knew this; he had been following Rohini under their dad's Invisibility Cloak when they had bumped into Dumbledore, Lucius Malfoy and Cornelius Fudge.

Tom the innkeeper reappeared, wearing an apron over his nightshirt and bearing a tray of tea and crumpets. He placed the tray on a table between Fudge and the twins and left the parlor, closing the door behind him.

Rohini realised she was quite hungry by now. She remembered Mrs. Figg's biscuits in her trunk which were probably too dry to eat without breaking a tooth anyway. She must have been staring at the crumpets for Fudge pushed the plate toward her with a smile.

"Well," said Fudge, pouring out tea, "you've had us all in a right flap, I don't mind telling you. Running away from your aunt and uncle's house like that! I'd started to think… but you're safe, and that's what matters. Eat, Harry, you look dead on your feet."

Rohini, who was already eating her third crumpet, buttered another one that she gave to Harry. He took it but didn't eat. Fudge then pushed two cups of tea in front of them. Rohini took a sip but burnt her tongue.

"Now then… You will be pleased to hear that we have dealt with the unfortunate blowing-up of Miss Marjorie Dursley. Two members of the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad were dispatched to Privet Drive a few hours ago. Miss Dursley has been punctured and her memory has been modified. She has no recollection of the incident at all. So that's that, and no harm done."

Fudge smiled at them over the rim of his teacup, rather like an uncle surveying his favourite nephew and niece. Harry, who couldn't believe his ears, opened his mouth to speak, couldn't think of anything to say, and closed it again.

As for Rohini, she felt like a weight had been lifted off her chest. Fudge must have misinterpreted Harry's expression for he said:

"Ah, you're worrying about the reaction of your aunt and uncle? Well, I won't deny that they are extremely angry, Harry, but they are prepared to take you back next summer as long as you stay at Hogwarts for the Christmas and Easter holidays."

"We always stay at Hogwarts for the Christmas and Easter holidays," he said, "and we don't ever want to go back to Privet Drive."

"Agreed." Rohini said with a nod.

"Now, now, I'm sure you'll feel differently once you've calmed down," said Fudge in a worried tone. "They are your family, after all, and I'm sure you are fond of each other—er—very deep down."

"Pardon me, Mr. the Minister but you'll find no family bond between us. We'd rather live at the _Leaky Cauldron_ until our majority." Rohini pointed out.

"Ah, well…" Said Fudge, looking embarrassed before cleaning his throat and looking at Harry instead, "So all that remains is to decide where you're going to spend the last three weeks of your vacation. I suggest you take a room here at the _Leaky Cauldron_ and—"

"Hang on," blurted Harry. "What about our punishment?"

Fudge blinked and Rohini grimaced. She would have gladly avoided this subject.

"Punishment?"

"We broke the law!" Harry said. "The Decree for the Restriction of Underage Wizardry!"

"Oh, my dear boy, we're not going to punish you for a little thing like that!" cried Fudge, waving his crumpet impatiently. "It was an accident! We don't send people to Azkaban just for blowing up their aunts!"

"Told you." Rohini mumbled and Harry threw her a nasty glance. He then looked back at the Minister, frowning.

"Last year, we got an official warning just because a house-elf smashed a pudding in my uncle's house!" he told Fudge. "The Ministry of Magic said I'd be expelled from Hogwarts if there was any more magic there!"

"He's not wrong." Rohini said. "Or did you realised it wasn't us and forgot about this warning?"

Fudge was suddenly looking awkward.

"Circumstances change, you see… We have to take into account… in the present climate… Surely you don't want to be expelled?"

"Of course we don't," said Harry.

"Is this because of Black, sir?" Rohini asked and Fudge froze, looking paler. "Stan told us he was a supporter of Volde- You-Know-Who. Are you worried he might be coming after Harry and I?"

Now Fudge was definitely looking worried and his laugh was a nervous one.

"You have absolutely no reason to be worried about your safety." He assured them and Rohini raised an eyebrow, sceptical.

It wasn't that she doubted the Minister's good intentions, but considering how he failed to arrest the right person last year and allowed Dumbledore to be send away by Malfoy, Rohini wasn't sure she felt totally safe right now.

"I'm going to see if Tom has a room for you two."

Fudge strode out of the parlor and the twins glanced at each other.

"That was weird." Harry said and Rohini nodded.

"Definitely. I think I was right; he is worried about Black. Wouldn't be the first time we deal with a supporter of Voldemort." Rohini said, remembering Lucius Malfoy.

"Great, always a pleasure to have a murderer after us." Harry groaned.

Fudge came back, accompanied by Tom the innkeeper.

"Room eleven's free." said Fudge. "I think you'll be very comfortable. Just one thing, and I'm sure you'll understand… I don't want you wandering off into Muggle London, all right? Keep to Diagon Alley. And you're to be back here before dark each night. Sure you'll understand. Tom will be keeping an eye on you for me."

"Okay," said Harry.

Fudge cleared his throat loudly and picked up his pinstriped cloak.

"Well, I'll be off, plenty to do, you know…"

He held out his hand and Harry, shaking it, thought of something.

"Er—Minister? Can I ask you something?"

"Certainly," said Fudge with a smile.

"Well, third years at Hogwarts are allowed to visit Hogsmeade, but my aunt and uncle didn't sign the permission form. D'you think you could—?"

Fudge was looking uncomfortable.

"Ah," he said. "No, no, I'm very sorry, Harry, but as I'm not your parent or guardian—"

"But you're the Minister of Magic," said Harry eagerly. "If you gave me permission—"

"No, I'm sorry, Harry, but rules are rules," said Fudge flatly. "Perhaps you'll be able to visit Hogsmeade next year. In fact, I think it's best if you don't… yes… well, I'll be off. Enjoy your stay, you two."

And with a last smile and shake of Rohini's hand, Fudge left the room.

"Nice try." Rohini said, patting Harry's shoulder.

Tom now moved forward, beaming.

"If you'll follow me, Mr. and Mrs. Potter," he said, "I've already taken your things up…"

They followed Tom up a handsome wooden staircase to a door with a brass number eleven on it, which Tom unlocked and opened for them.

Inside was two very comfortable-looking twins bed, some highly polished oak furniture, a cheerfully crackling fire and, perched on top of the wardrobe—

"Hedwig!" Harry gasped.

The snowy owl clicked her beak and fluttered down onto Harry's arm.

"Very smart owl you've got there," chuckled Tom. "Arrived about five minutes after you did. If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to ask."

He gave another bow and left.

Rohini opened Thranduil's cage so he could finally walk around and dropped on the closest bed with a "Humph!"

Harry sat next to her, absentmindedly stroking Hedwig.

"That was honestly pretty weird." Rohini said, her voice muffled by the blanket. She sat up and looked at the sky slowly turning pinkish. She couldn't believe it was already dawn.

"Do you think Black is really coming for us?" Harry asked.

"I don't know. I mean, he might try but how is he going to sneak out into the _Leaky Cauldron_ or into Hogwarts without being seen?"

"Maybe he doesn't care about being seen. You read the news; he once murdered a whole street."

"I don't think he's stupid." Rohini said, thoughtful. "I mean, he escaped Azkaban and everybody love to say about how awful and highly guarded this place is. I don't think he'll do anything risky for now."

"I'll trust you on this. You're the smart one, here." Harry said and Rohini gently punched him in the arm.

"You _are_ smart, Harry. We just don't think the same way." Rohini said before yawning loudly. "Well, I don't know for you but I'm exhausted. Gonna try to sleep for the next few hours."

"Don't end up sleeping the whole day." Harry teased her and Rohini groaned before chasing him off her bed.

"'night, Harry." She mumbled, already half asleep.

Xxx

Staying at the _Leaky Cauldron_ for the rest of the holidays felt like they had jumped back to two years ago, when Hagrid had saved them from the Dursleys.

Diagon Alley, a long cobbled street, was packed with the most fascinating wizarding shops in the world. They might know it by heart but the twins still loved it as much as the first day.

The twins ate breakfast each morning in the _Leaky Cauldron_ , where Harry liked watching the other guests while Rohini read the newspaper. The pub was filled with funny little witches from the country, up for a day's shopping and venerable-looking wizards arguing over the latest article in _Transfiguration Today_. There were also wild-looking warlocks; raucous dwarfs; and once, what looked suspiciously like a hag, who ordered a plate of raw liver from behind a thick woollen balaclava.

Rohini had been quite happy when she saw the mysterious wizard that had taught her how to play chess two years ago coming inside. He had been quite pleased to see she had progressed and paid for the twins' breakfast that day. Sadly he didn't stay more than a couple of days this time.

After breakfast they would go out into the backyard where Harry would take out his wand, tap the third brick from the left above the trash bin, and stand back as the archway into Diagon Alley opened in the wall.

They spent the long sunny days exploring the shops and eating under the brightly coloured umbrellas outside cafes, where their fellow diners were showing one another their purchases or else discussing the case of Sirius Black. Rohini had grown interested about him and would always listen to the conversations and rumours centred on Black.

They didn't have to do their homework under the blankets by flashlight anymore and instead, they will sit in the bright sunshine outside _Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor_ , Rohini helping Harry to finish all his essays with occasional help from Florean Fortescue himself, who, apart from knowing a great deal about medieval witch burnings, gave them free sundaes every half an hour.

Harry, Rohini realised, loved shiny things. She had to stop him from buying a handsome set of solid gold Gobstones and an equally shining cauldron.

"No wonder you're a Seeker." She sighed, shaking her head. "Mrs. Hooch should be worried that you'll steal the Snitch one day."

But Harry wasn't the only one tempted to spend their money on everything their eyes fell upon; they had both been sorely drawn by the perfect, moving model of the galaxy in a large glass ball, which would have meant they never had to take another Astronomy lesson which forced them to stay up for a Midnight class once a week.

Rohini was also haunting every bookstore to broaden her vision of magic. She spent a whole evening talking excitingly about Animagus to Harry who ended up asking her if she knew a spell that could mute her.

The thing that tested Harry's resolution most appeared in his favourite shop, _Quality Quidditch Supplies_ , a week after their arrival at the _Leaky Cauldron_.

Curious to know what the crowd in the shop was staring at, Harry edged his way inside and squeezed in among the excited witches and wizards while Rohini was stuck outside, unable to pass through the crowd.

When Harry finally came out of the shop with a dreamy expression, Rohini asked him what was so amazing inside and Harry asked her if she would hate him for spending all their money on a new broomstick.

"Do that and you will regret that Voldemort hadn't killed you first." Rohini said, deadpan. "Plus you already have a broomstick. Don't pull a Malfoy on me."

"You're merciless, Rohini." Harry sighed and Rohini winked at him with a large grin.

There were, however, things they really needed to buy. They went to the Apothecary to replenish their store of potions ingredients and since Harry's school robes were now several inches too short in the arm and leg, they visited _Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions_ and where he bought new ones. Most important of all were the new schoolbooks.

Instead of the usual display of gold-embossed spellbooks the size of paving slabs, there was a large iron cage behind the glass of the shop that held about a hundred copies of _The Monster Book of Monsters_. Torn pages were flying everywhere as the books grappled with each other, locked together in furious wrestling matches and snapping aggressively.

"I was right." Rohini told Harry as they get inside. "Hagrid's books are on our list."

"Glad it's not because he wanted help with some terrifying new pet." Harry said as the manager came hurrying toward them.

"Hogwarts?" he said abruptly. "Come to get your new books?"

"Yes," said Harry, "We need—"

"Get out of the way," said the manager impatiently, brushing Harry aside. He drew on a pair of very thick gloves, picked up a large, knobbly walking stick, and proceeded toward the door of the Monster Books' cage.

"Ah, we already have those, don't worry." Rohini said and a look of enormous relief spread over the manager's face. "Thank heavens for that. I've been bitten five times already this morning—"

A loud ripping noise rent the air; two of the Monster Books had seized a third and were pulling it apart.

"Stop it! Stop it!" cried the manager, poking the walking stick through the bars and knocking the books apart. "I'm never stocking them again, never! It's been bedlam! I thought we'd seen the worst when we bought two hundred copies of the _Invisible Book of Invisibility_ —cost a fortune, and we never found them… Well… is there anything else I can help you with?"

"An invisible Book?" Rohini asked, interested, and Harry elbowed her. "I mean yes, we need _Unfogging the Future_ by Cassandra Vablatsky."

"Ah, starting Divination, are you?" said the manager, stripping off his gloves and leading them into the back of the shop, where there was a corner devoted to fortune-telling.

A small table was stacked with volumes such as _Predicting the Unpredictable: Insulate Yourself Against Shocks and Broken Balls: When Fortunes Turn Foul_. Rohini was quite curious about Divination. It was quite peculiar and she wasn't sure if she believed in it or not. Before discovering she was a witch, Rohini had always put Science discovery before faith and "miraculous" things.

"Here you are," said the manager, who had climbed a set of steps to take down two thick, black-bound books. " _Unfogging the Future_. Very good guide to all your basic fortune-telling methods—palmistry, crystal balls, bird entrails—"

But the twins weren't listening. Their eyes had fallen on another book, which was among a display on a small table: _Death Omens: What to Do When You Know the Worst Is Coming_.

"Oh, I wouldn't read that if I were you," said the manager lightly, looking to see what Harry was staring at. "You'll start seeing death omens everywhere. It's enough to frighten anyone to death."

"Believe me, I'm sure we don't need them to know death after us." Rohini said while staring at the front cover of the book; it showed a black dog large as a bear, with gleaming eyes.

The manager pressed _Unfogging the Future_ into Harry's hands.

"Anything else?" he said.

"Yes," said Harry, tearing his eyes away from the dog's and dazedly consulting his booklist. "Er—we need _Intermediate Transfiguration and The Standard Book of Spells, Grade Three_."

They emerged from _Flourish and Blotts_ ten minutes later with their new books under their arms. Rohini asked Harry if he wanted to stop and get an ice cream but Harry didn't heard her and made his way back to the Leaky Cauldron, hardly noticing where he was going and bumping into several people. Rohini went after him, frowning.

"Hey, what's wrong?" She asked him as he sat on his bed, looking grimy.

"It can't have been a death omen, right?" he asked, more to himself than to Rohini.

"What are you talking about?" Rohini asked.

"The thing we saw, back when we ran away." Harry said.

"Harry, don't fret! It was just a stray dog. You've heard the manager; once you hear about Death omen, you see them everywhere. Good thing you didn't bought the book."

"I know." Harry sighed and Rohini gave him a sympathetic smile before putting her new books into her trunk.

"Can I borrow Hedwig? I need to send a letter to Padma."

"Sure." Harry said. "Is she coming to Diagon Alley soon?"

"Hope so." Rohini said with a fond smile. "I miss her so much."

"Have you used the diary she sent you yet?" Harry asked and Rohini shook her head.

"Keeping it for Hogwarts." She said. "I'd rather begin it with something positive rather than " _Dear Diary, I've ran away from the Dursleys with Harry and now live in a pub.""_

"Sounds adventurous to me." Harry said with a smile and Rohini laughed.

As the days slipped by, plenty of Hogwarts students were arriving in Diagon Alley, with the start of term so near. Harry met Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas, his fellow Gryffindors, in _Quality Quidditch Supplies_ , where they too were ogling the Firebolt.

The twins hid into a narrow space between two shops when they saw Colin Creevey, a tiny Gryffindor that was also Harry's biggest fanboy. Rohini ran into Luna Lovegood outside of _Flourish and Blotts_ and finally met Mr. Lovegood.

He was quite an eccentric-looking wizard, just like his daughter. Slightly cross-eyed, with shoulder-length white hair the texture of candyfloss, he wore robes of an eye-watering shade of pink. An odd symbol, rather like a triangular eye, glistened from a golden chain around his neck.

"Please to meet you, Rohini." He told her while shaking her hand vigorously. "I'm glad my Luna found a good friend in you."

"Luna is amazing." Rohini said with a smile to Luna who was beaming. "How is your newspaper doing?"

"We sold a special issue about the Crumple-Horned Snorkacks this month." Xenophilius told her. "It sold well though the critics were a bit disappointing."

"Ah shame, really." Luna said with a sigh.

They spent the rest of the day together and Rohini invited them for dinner where she introduced Mr. Lovegood to Harry. It had been a funny and interesting evening and Rohini hugged Luna tightly before the Lovegoods left.

The twins were glad they had run away from Private Drive; home truly wasn't there, after all. And no death omen or escaped prisoner will change that.


	5. Chapter 5

On the last day of the Holliday, Rohini woke up at dawn, clenching her arm and grimacing painfully. She had felt no phantom pain since Private Drive and thought it was over. Apparently, she had thought wrong.

Breathing quickly, she stood up and hurried to get dressed, making sure not to wake up Harry. Then, she got downstairs where she was welcomed by Tom who seemed surprised to see her up so early; Rohini usually slept until noon if Harry didn't woke her up.

"I'm going to go for a walk." She told the bartender. "Not in London, of course." She added quickly when Ton frowned. "Could you tell Harry I'm somewhere in _Diagon Alley_ when he woke up?"

"Of course. Have a nice walk, Mrs. Potter." Tom said and Rohini stepped outside into the backyard. She loved to watch the wall slowly reveal the wizardly world that it hid. It might be early, but the shop owners were already here, drinking coffee together or opening their shops.

Rohini felt already better and wandered around without a purpose in mind, enjoying the calmness before the crowd. Before she knew it, it was already half past eight and the first customers were arriving to eat breakfast at cafes. She waved politely at a few familiar faces, and was wondering if she should go back to bed when she felt someone's hands falling on her eyes.

Her heart did a funny thing as she knew who it was even before hearing the familiar laugh.

"Oh, no!" She said dramatically, "I'm under attack!"

"Don't be silly!" Padma said as Rohini turned to face her. The two girls hugged and Rohini realised Padma was growing taller than her, too. Taller and also prettier. "Mum, dad, look who's here!" Padma said, waving at the rest of her family.

"Hi Parvati." Rohini said, smiling politely at Padma's twin sister. "Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Patil!" She added, shaking hand with Mr. Patil.

"I'm glad to see you're looking well." Mrs. Patil said in a soft voice. "I've heard at work that you had some problem with your aunt."

"Mum works for the Minister." Padma said, looking proud. "She's an Auror."

"Dad is the housewife." Parvati joked. "He is the only one with decent cooking skills."

"I thought you like my cakes?" Mrs. Patil said, looking slightly offended. Parvati looked away and announced they should go have breakfast before buying their school supplies.

"Want to join us?" Padma asked and Rohini nodded timidly. She had never truly spend time with the four Patils before and worried she would do something wrong. Padma must have felt it for she told her to "relax" as she took her hand. That was definitely not helping Rohini to relax.

During the next hour, Rohini managed to accidentally spill her cup of tea all over the table, accidentally bit her tongue while eating scrambled egg and chocked on a piece of toast. Thankfully it only seemed to amuse the Patils.

"Good thing you're not that clumsy in Potions or we'll never hear the end of it." Padma said, referring to Professor Snape's bad habit of bullying his students.

"I still think Severus Snape should be fired." Mrs. Patil said with a frown. "Someone like him shouldn't be a teacher in the first place. Didn't you tell me he made your friend cry?" She asked Parvati who nodded.

"Maybe if enough parents send a letter to Dumbledore…" Mr. Patil suggested before sighing and smiling at the girls. "Oh well. Let's think about something more cheerful for now." Then he looked to Rohini. "Padma told us you were one of the top students in Transfiguration and Charms. You're a lot like your parents." He said.

"Oh, did you know them?" Rohini asked, curious.

"Not personally; I was a Hufflepuff myself. But it was kind of hard to miss your father and his friends." Mr. Patil said, smiling as he remembered his Hogwarts years. "Always pulling pranks on everyone, teachers included. It was such a shock when we learnt that-"He began but Mrs. Patil cleared her throat and gave him a warning look.

"Learnt what?" Rohini asked, feeling like he had been ready to spill quite the information.

"That they both died so tragically." Mrs. Patil said with a sad smile thought Rohini could tell they were hiding something. The twins must have feel it too for they exchanged a confused glance but none of the girls tried to push it; they could always speculate about it later. For now, Padma and Parvati needed to buy their school supplies.

"I've bought mine already." Rohini said as they entered _Flourish and Blotts_ where the manager turned pale when he realised he had to catch two Monster books. The Patil twins seemed quite excited about Divination which turned out to be Mrs. Patil's favourite subject back when she was a Ravenclaw student.

Then they went to the _Apothecary_ and stopped at _Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions_ for the twins were taller now. Rohini felt slightly jealous for she hadn't grown enough to get new dresses since she began studying at Hogwarts.

Parvati asked that they stopped at _Madam Primpernelle's Beautifying Potions_ where she found products to treat her pimples. Rohini wondered if she should do the same and ended up buying a little cream to use daily. She didn't care much about her appearance as a whole, but having skin problems was bothering her.

Their final stop was the _Magical Menagerie_ where Rohini bought a new toy for Thranduil while the twins tried to decide if they'd rather have a cat or an owl. Padma was more of a cat person but Parvati pointed out that an owl would be more useful. In the end, they both fell in love with a Barred owl. They argued about her name all the way back to the _Leaky Cauldron_ where a surprise was waiting for Rohini.

"Rohini!" Ginny shouted as she ran towards her excitingly. Rohini gasped and hugged her friend tightly while the two of them made funny little happy noises.

"Look at you!" Rohini said, beaming. "You seem to be doing well! How was Egypt?"

"Awesome." Ginny said. "I'm sure you would have loved it! Oh, hi Padma!" She said, noticing the Patils. Someone shouted their names and soon Hermione arrived, beaming and carrying a fat ginger cat. She introduced him as Crookshanks. Rohini thought he had quite the funny face but said nothing.

She felt a bit sad when the Patils announced they were leaving for Mrs. Patil was needed at work this afternoon. Padma and Rohini hugged each other and promised to meet at the station tomorrow. Once they had left, Rohini followed Ginny and Hermione to the bar where the Weasleys and Harry were sitting.

"Rohini!" Mr. Weasley said, smiling as he looked up from the _Daily Prophet_ that he was reading. "We were wondering where you were!"

"Just wandering around." Rohini said while sitting between Harry and Ginny. "I've met the Patils and spend the morning with them. Oh, is it about Sirius Black?" Rohini asked, curious, as she saw the now familiar picture of Sirius Black staring up at them in the front page.

"Still nothing," said Mr. Weasley, looking extremely grave. "They've pulled us all off our regular jobs at the Ministry to try and find him, but no luck so far."

"Would we get a reward if we caught him?" asked Ron. "It'd be good to get some more money—"

"Don't be ridiculous, Ron," said Mr. Weasley, who on closer inspection looked very strained. "Black's not going to be caught by a thirteen-year-old wizard. It's the Azkaban guards who'll get him back, you mark my words."

"No luck so far." Rohini pointed out before a cheerful gasp caught their attention; Mrs. Weasley was walking towards them, laden with shopping bags and followed by the twins, Fred and George, who were about to start their fifth year at Hogwarts and the newly elected Head Boy, Percy who shook hands with the Potter twins solemnly, making his siblings snort.

"Harry!" said Fred, elbowing Percy out of the way and bowing deeply. "Simply splendid to see you, old boy—"

"Marvelous," said George with a wink as he seized Rohini's hand. "Absolutely spiffing."

Percy scowled as the Potter twins giggled.

"That's enough, now," said Mrs. Weasley.

"Mum!" said Fred as though he'd only just spotted her and seizing her hand too. "How really corking to see you—"

"I said, that's enough," said Mrs. Weasley, depositing her shopping in an empty chair. "Hello, Harry, Rohini, dearies. I suppose you've heard our exciting news?" She pointed to the brand-new silver badge on Percy's chest. "Second Head Boy in the family!" she said, swelling with pride.

"And last," Fred muttered under his breath.

"I don't doubt that," said Mrs. Weasley, frowning suddenly. "I notice they haven't made you two prefects."

"What do we want to be prefects for?" said George, looking revolted at the very idea. "It'd take all the fun out of life."

Ginny giggled and Rohini hid her smile between her hand.

"You want to set a better example for your sister!" snapped Mrs. Weasley.

"Ginny's got other brothers to set her an example, Mother," said Percy loftily. "I'm going up to change for dinner…"

He disappeared and George heaved a sigh.

"We tried to shut him in a pyramid," he told Rohini. "But Mum spotted us."

"Maybe you'll be luckier at Hogwarts. I'm sure Moaning Myrtle would love some company in her bathroom." Rohini said and the twins seemed to like the idea.

"Have you seen Luna?" Ginny asked her. "We exchanged a few letters this summer."

"Yeah, I had dinner with her and her dad when they came for her school supplies." Rohini said and Ginny sighed, envious.

The Weasleys and Hermione had decided to spend the night at the Leaky Cauldron and Rohini moved into another bedroom with Ginny and Hermione so that Harry and Ron could be together. Ginny had been delighted to see Thranduil again for she quite loved Rohini's cat. Crookshanks and him had been staring at each other but didn't try to fight nor interact.

Dinner that night was a very enjoyable affair. Tom the innkeeper put three tables together in the parlor, and the seven Weasleys, Harry, Hermione and Rohini ate their way through five delicious courses.

"How're we getting to King's Cross tomorrow, Dad?" asked Fred as they dug into a sumptuous chocolate pudding.

"The Ministry's providing a couple of cars," said Mr. Weasley.

Everyone looked up at him.

"Why?" said Percy curiously.

"It's because of you, Perce," said George seriously. "And there'll be little flags on the hoods, with HB on them—"

"—for Humongous Bighead," said Fred.

Everyone except Percy and Mrs. Weasley snorted into their pudding.

"Why are the Ministry providing cars, Father?" Percy asked again, in a dignified voice.

"Well, as we haven't got one anymore," said Mr. Weasley, "—and as I work there, they're doing me a favor—"

His voice was casual, but everyone couldn't help noticing that Mr. Weasley's ears had gone red, just like Ron's did when he was under pressure. Rohini realised it was already the second time in the day that adults were hiding something from them and she found it quite suspicious.

"Good thing, too," said Mrs. Weasley briskly. "Do you realize how much luggage you've all got between you? A nice sight you'd be on the Muggle Underground… You are all packed, aren't you?"

"Of course." They all said with more or less conviction.

After dinner everyone felt very full and sleepy. One by one they made their way upstairs to their rooms to check their things for the next day. The girls were talking about what Ginny was going to study during her Second year when they heard screaming coming from the corridor.

Curious, Rohini stepped outside to see Percy screaming at Ron.

"It was here, on the bedside table, I took it off for polishing—"

"I haven't touched it, all right?" Ron roared back, "We're not even in the same room, how could I have done it?"

"What's up?" said Harry and Rohini at the same time as they stepped out of their respective bedroom.

"My Head Boy badge is gone," said Percy, fuming.

"So's Scabbers's rat tonic," said Ron. "I think I might've left it in the bar—"

"You're not going anywhere till you've found my badge!" yelled Percy.

"I told you I couldn't have possibly touched it!" Ron yelled back.

"Harry and I are going to check if it's not downstairs." Rohini said, quickly grabbing her brother by the arm to escape the feud between the Weasleys.

"I'm pretty sure it's Fred and George doing…" Rohini whispered as they went downstairs. "I saw them coming out of Percy's bedroom earlier."

They were halfway along the passage to the bar, which was now very dark, when they heard another pair of angry voices coming from the parlor. The twins exchanged an awkward glance when they realised it was Mr. and Mrs. Weasleys arguing. It sure wasn't the right night for their family.

Rohini mouthed at Harry "upstairs" and they began to turn back when they heard their names. Curious, they stepped closer while staying in the shadows.

"…makes no sense not to tell them," Mr. Weasley was saying heatedly. "They've got a right to know. I've tried to tell Fudge, but he insists on treating them like children. They are both thirteen years old and—"

"Arthur, the truth would terrify them!" said Mrs. Weasley shrilly. "Do you really want to send Harry back to school with that hanging over him? And what about Rohini? For heaven's sake, they're happy not knowing!"

"I don't want to make them miserable, I want to put them on their guard!" retorted Mr. Weasley. "You know what Harry and Ron are like, wandering off by themselves—they've even ended up in the Forbidden Forest! And Rohini almost died in the Chamber of Secrets… When I think what could have happened to them that night they ran away from home! If the Knight Bus hadn't picked them up, I'm prepared to bet they would have been dead before the Ministry found them."

Rohini shivered, taking Harry's hand and clenching it. Harry's skin was cold against her.

"But they are not dead, they are fine, so what's the point—"

"Molly, they say Sirius Black's mad, and maybe he is, but he was clever enough to escape from Azkaban, and that's supposed to be impossible. It's been a month, and no one's seen hide nor hair of him, and I don't care what Fudge keeps telling the _Daily Prophet_ , we're no nearer catching Black than inventing self-spelling wands. The only thing we know for sure is what Black's after—"

"But Harry will be perfectly safe at Hogwarts."

"We thought Azkaban was perfectly safe. If Black can break out of Azkaban, he can break into Hogwarts."

"But no one's really sure that Black's after Harry—"

There was a thud on wood for Mr. Weasley had banged his fist on the table. Rohini tensed up.

"Molly, how many times do I have to tell you? They didn't report it in the press because Fudge wanted it kept quiet, but Fudge went out to Azkaban the night Black escaped. The guards told Fudge that Black's been talking in his sleep for a while now. Always the same words: 'He's at Hogwarts… he's at Hogwarts.' Black is deranged, Molly, and he wants Harry dead. If you ask me, he thinks murdering Harry will bring You-Know-Who back to power. Black lost everything the night Harry stopped You-Know-Who, and he's had twelve years alone in Azkaban to brood on that…"

There was a silence. So Rohini had been right; Black truly was after Harry.

"Well, Arthur, you must do what you think is right. But you're forgetting Albus Dumbledore. I don't think anything could hurt Harry at Hogwarts while Dumbledore's headmaster. I suppose he knows about all this?"

"Of course he knows. We had to ask him if he minds the Azkaban guards stationing themselves around the entrances to the school grounds. He wasn't happy about it, but he agreed."

"Not happy? Why shouldn't he be happy, if they're there to catch Black?"

"Dumbledore isn't fond of the Azkaban guards," said Mr. Weasley heavily. "Nor am I, if it comes to that… but when you're dealing with a wizard like Black, you sometimes have to join forces with those you'd rather avoid."

"If they save Harry—"

"—then I will never say another word against them," said Mr. Weasley wearily. "It's late, Molly, we'd better go up…"

They heard chairs move. Rohini pushed Harry back and as quietly as they could, they hurried down the passage to the bar and out of sight. The parlor door opened, and a few seconds later footsteps told him that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were climbing the stairs.

The bottle of rat tonic was lying under the table they had sat at earlier. Harry waited until he heard Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's bedroom door close to go and pick it up and the twins headed back upstairs.

Fred and George were crouching in the shadows on the landing, heaving with laughter as they listened to Percy dismantling his room in search of his badge.

"We've got it," Fred whispered to Harry. "We've been improving it."

The badge now read Bighead Boy.

"I knew it was your doing." Rohini sighed. "And it should say "Old Boy" considering how adult-like he acts."

They waited for the Weasleys twins to go back into their room before Rohini turned to Harry who hadn't say a single thing yet.

"You good?" She asked slowly and Harry shrugged. "Courage, Harry. It's yet another murderer after us. No big deal."

"You're right. I mean, what's one more after Professor Quirrell and the teen version of Voldemort?" Harry teased back before sighing. "And I thought we'd have a break this year."

"Rotten luck." Rohini said, patting his shoulder with compassion. "Oh well, you've heard Mr. Weasley; the school will be guarded."

"And you said it yourself; Black isn't stupid and will do anything to avoid getting arrested again." Harry pointed out.

"Which include not breaking into Hogwarts and killing you right under McGonagall's eyes. I've always said she was far scarier than Dumbledore in my opinion." Rohini said and Harry smiled weakly. "Come on, cheer up. I'll be here, too."

"The Basilisk Killer Sister. I feel much safer now." Harry teased her and Rohini gently slapped the back of his head before kissing his cheek and wishing him goodnight.

"Where have you been?" Ginny asked when she came back in their room. She and Hermione were now in their pyjama and reading.

"Just looking for Ron's Rat tonic. Also, I think Fred and George are trying to get murdered by Percy."

"Nothing new here." Ginny said with a grin.

"Indeed." Rohini laughed before changing into her purple pyjama and sitting on the closest bed to the window. A dog barked somewhere and Rohini thought about the dog in the shadows of Magnolia Crescent and how worried about it Harry seemed.

"Do you believe in omens?" She asked and Hermione scoffed. "Yeah, me neither. What about you Ginny?"

"I don't really have an opinion on it." Ginny said. "I mean, I've heard rumours about them but I'm not sure I believe in them either."

The girls then stayed quiet, reading until Ginny yawned loudly and they decided it was time to go to bed. But even as the candles were blown, Rohini stayed awake for an hour or two, excited about the perspective of going back to Hogwarts tomorrow.


	6. Chapter 6

Rohini was awoken next day by Percy's shouts. Groaning, the girls got up and took a shower before going downstairs where everybody was sitting for breakfast.

"What was wrong with Percy this time?" Rohini asked between two yawns as she sat next to Harry.

"He's convinced someone sneaked into his room and dropped tea on his photo of Penelope Clearwater. You know," Ron grimaced, "his girlfriend. She's hidden her face under the frame because her nose has gone all blotchy…"

Mr. Weasley was reading the front page of the _Daily Prophet_ with a furrowed brow and Mrs. Weasley was telling Hermione and Ginny about a love potion she'd made as a young girl. All three of them were rather giggly. Rohini was glad to see her friends looking so well after what they went through last year.

Once Mr. Weasley was done with the _Daily Prophet_ , she borrowed the newspaper and was disappointed to learn Sirius Black still hadn't been spotted. He must have been really good at disguising himself considering that the whole country was after him.

Unsurprisingly, the next hour was chaotic; they were all busy heaving all their trunks down the _Leaky Cauldron_ 's narrow staircase and piling them up near the door, with Hedwig and Hermes, Percy's screech owl, perched on top in their cages. Thranduil had been making a scene while Rohini tried to put him back in his cage but he was now napping, unlike Hermione's cat which was spitting loudly in a small wickerwork basket.

"It's all right, Crookshanks," Hermione cooed through the wickerwork. "I'll let you out on the train."

"You won't," snapped Ron. "What about poor Scabbers, eh?"

He pointed at his chest, where a large lump indicated that Scabbers was curled up in his pocket.

"Oh, come on, Ron." Rohini said. "Thranduil has never attacked Scabbers before, I'm sure it will be alright."

"Yeah but Thranduil is a normal cat. This thing is a monster!" Ron said, pointing accusingly at the basket. The girls shook their head and ignored him.

Mr. Weasley, who had been outside waiting for the Ministry cars, stuck his head inside.

"They're here," he said. "Harry, Rohini come on."

Mr. Weasley marched the twins across the short stretch of pavement toward the first of two old-fashioned dark green cars, each of which was driven by a furtive-looking wizard wearing a suit of emerald velvet. Rohini thought that if Mr. and Mrs. Weasleys had been aiming for discretion, it wasn't really a successful plan.

"In you get, Harry," said Mr. Weasley, glancing up and down the crowded street. "Your turn, Rohini."

Harry got into the back of the car, followed by Rohini and were shortly joined by Hermione and Ron. Rohini looked one last time at the _Leaky Cauldron_ and sighed. She would miss Diagon Alley, especially since she and Harry couldn't go to Hogsmeade.

They reached King's Cross with twenty minutes to spare; the Ministry drivers found them trolleys, unloaded their trunks, touched their hats in salute to Mr. Weasley, and drove away, somehow managing to jump to the head of an unmoving line at the traffic lights.

Mr. Weasley kept close to the Potter twins all the way into the station, glancing around nervously and waited for everybody to be standing close to the barrier to talk.

"Right then," he said. "Let's do this in pairs, as there are so many of us. I'll go through first with Harry."

Mr. Weasley strolled toward the barrier between platforms nine and ten, pushing Harry's trolley and soon they disappeared on the other side of the wall. Rohini looked at Ginny.

"Want to go with me?" She asked and Ginny nodded. They casually walked towards the wall between Platform 9 and Platform 10 and the next moment, they had fallen sideways through the solid metal onto platform 9 ¾ and looked up to see the Hogwarts Express, a scarlet steam engine, puffing smoke over a platform packed with witches and wizards seeing their children onto the train.

Percy and Ron suddenly appeared behind them. They were panting and had apparently taken the barrier at a run. Ron quickly stepped away from his brother for he was still moody about their fight.

"Ah, there's Penelope!" said Percy, smoothing his hair and going pink again. Ginny caught Harry's eye, and they both turned away to hide their laughter as Percy strode over to a girl with long, curly hair, walking with his chest thrown out so that she couldn't miss his shiny badge.

Once the remaining Weasleys and Hermione had joined them, Harry and Ron led the way to the end of the train, past packed compartments, to a carriage that looked quite empty. They loaded the trunks onto it, stowed Hedwig, Thranduil and Crookshanks in the luggage rack, then went back outside to say good-bye to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

Mrs. Weasley kissed all her children, then Hermione, Harry and Rohini. The two of them were given an extra hug and Rohini thought it was probably because she was worried about their safety. It felt nice, to have someone act all motherly with them.

"Do take care, won't you, Harry, Rohini?" she said as she straightened up, her eyes oddly bright. Then she opened her enormous handbag and said, "I've made you all sandwiches… Here you are, Ron… no, they're not corned beef… Fred? Where's Fred? Here you are, dear…"

"Harry," said Mr. Weasley quietly, "come over here a moment. Yes, you might come too, Rohini."

He jerked his head toward a pillar, and the twins followed him behind it, leaving the others crowded around Mrs. Weasley.

"There's something I've got to tell you before you leave—" said Mr. Weasley, in a tense voice.

"It's all right, Mr. Weasley," said Harry. "We already know."

"You know? How could you know?"

"I've guessed it the night we ran away from home." Rohini said, not wanting to let him know they had heard his fight with Mrs. Weasley last night. "I suggested that Fudge was worried about Black coming after Harry, and his reaction confirmed it."

"Oh." Mr. Weasley said, surprised, before looking at Harry. "You must be very scared—"

"I'm not," said Harry sincerely. "Really," he added, because Mr. Weasley was looking disbelieving. "I'm not trying to be a hero, but seriously, Sirius Black can't be worse than Voldemort, can he?"

"We're getting used to it, really." Rohini assured Mr. Weasley who sighed.

"I know that you two are strong and I'm obviously pleased that you're not scared, but—"

"Arthur!" called Mrs. Weasley, who was now shepherding the rest onto the train. "Arthur, what are you doing? It's about to go!"

"We're coming, Molly!" said Mr. Weasley but he kept talking in a lower and more hurried voice. "Listen, I want you to give me your word—"

"—that I'll be a good boy and stay in the castle?" said Harry gloomily.

"Not entirely," said Mr. Weasley, who looked more serious than ever. "Harry, and Rohini too, swear to me you won't go looking for Black."

"What?" Harry said, confused.

"We never go after murderer." Rohini pointed out. "They are usually the ones coming after us."

There was a loud whistle. Guards were walking along the train, slamming all the doors shut.

"Sorry Mr. Weasley, but we really need to go." Rohini said, pulling on Harry's sleeves.

"Promise me," said Mr. Weasley, following them, "that whatever happens—"

"Alright, we promise!" Harry said as Rohini pushed him into the train and jumped after him as it started to move.

They leaned out of the window and waved at Mr. and Mrs. Weasley until the train turned a corner and blocked them from view. Then, exchanging a puzzled glance, they went looking for Ron, Hermione and Ginny and found them in the last compartment.

Rohini and Harry were surprised to discover that along with their friends, there was a man sitting fast asleep next to the window. The Hogwarts Express was usually reserved for students and they had never seen an adult there before, except for the witch who pushed the food cart.

The stranger was wearing an extremely shabby set of wizard's robes that had been darned in several places. He looked ill and exhausted. Though quite young, his light brown hair was flecked with gray.

"A new teacher?" Rohini asked, standing by the door as Harry sat next to Ron.

"Professor R. J. Lupin," whispered Hermione at once.

"How d'you know his name?"

"It's on his case," she replied, pointing at the luggage rack over the man's head, where there was a small, battered case held together with a large quantity of neatly knotted string. The name Professor R. J. Lupin was stamped across one corner.

"I will take a wild shot in the dark and say he will teach DADA." Rohini said.

They already had two Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers, both of whom had lasted only one year. There were rumors that the job was jinxed.

"I need to talk to you." Harry muttered to Ron and Hermione as the train picked up speed.

"Go away, Ginny," said Ron.

"Oh, that's nice," said Ginny huffily, and she stalked off. Rohini frowned at Ron and followed Ginny for she already knew what Harry was going to say. They decided to go looking for Padma and Luna instead. They found them two wagons later, sitting in a compartment with Parvati and Lavender Brown.

"Ginny!" Luna said, beaming. The two friends caught up really fast while Lavender told Rohini and Padma about her holidays in Scotland. She complained about the rain a lot and seemed shocked that Rohini loved rain and stormy weather in general.

"Where's the pleasure in being all soaked to the bone?" She asked and Rohini explained that she didn't need to be outside to enjoy it. "Well, if you say so…" Lavender said, looking doubtful.

"I've read that you went to Egypt." Padma said to Ginny, thankfully changing topic. "Did you go inside the Pyramids?"

"Yes, except the last one because Mum thought I'd be scared." Ginny said, rolling her eyes. "If she knew about the pictures Fred and George showed me, she'd know I've seen more spooky things in my life."

"Parents always worry too much." Parvati said and Rohini smiled sadly. She wished she had parents to worry about them. In a way, Mr. and Mrs. Weasleys were a bit like distant relatives; they did care about Harry and her more than the Dursleys ever will.

"So, Rohini." Lavender suddenly said. "How are Harry and you going to put your life in danger this year?"

"Easy one." Rohini sighed. "Sirius Black, of course. Everybody is fretting he'll come after Harry. I have no choice but protect my dear brother once again."

"And we'll have no choice but protect you." Padma said with a knowing smile.

"You don't look more worried than that." Parvati noticed and Rohini shrugged.

"As I keep saying, Black isn't stupid. He isn't going to risk sneaking inside Hogwarts in plain sight and murder Harry under Dumbledore's eyes. Plus, I've heard that Azkaban guards will be patrolling around the castle."

"What?" The girls gasped, looking worried.

"What, 'what'?" Rohini said, confused.

"Rohini, Azkaban's guards are dangerous." Ginny told her. "I've heard dad talk about them before. They are dark creatures." She said, shivering.

"Oh. Well, one more reason for Black to think twice before attacking." Rohini said, laughing nervously. "Anyway, what are you looking forward to, this year?" She said, deciding to change the subject.

"Hogsmeade." Lavender said and the Patil twins nodded. "Can you imagine going to _Honeydukes_ and buying all kind of candies? And drinking something at _The_ _Three Broomsticks_!"

"Sounds lovely." Rohini sighed. "I wish I could go, but after we accidentally turned our Aunt into an air balloon, our Uncle refused to sign our permissions…"

"Oh no." Padma said, looking genuinely sad for Rohini. "I wanted to visit it with you!"

"It's ok, maybe next year. Plus, Luna and Ginny will be allowed to visit it too when they'll be in third year, so we could go all together then." Rohini pointed out, trying to hide the fact that she would have loved to spend some alone time with Padma too.

The Hogwarts Express moved steadily north and the scenery outside the window became wilder and darker while the clouds overhead thickened. People were chasing backward and forward past the door of their compartment. The girls were now talking about everything and anything. Ginny admitted she wanted to be a part of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team but felt like she needed to wait a year or two. Luna was reading an old edition of The Quibbler and Rohini was fooling around by turning Padma's watch into different items.

Around one o'clock, the plump witch with the food cart arrived at the compartment door.

"Would you like something, dearies?" said the witch with a smile.

"I'll take a stack of Cauldron Cakes." Rohini said, counting how much change she had kept in her pockets. "Oh, and a few pumpkin popsicles too. Thanks!"

"I will buy a box of jellybean." Said Luna. Lavenders bought some candies too and they shared everything together. Rohini was eating one of Ginny's sandwiches when it began to rain.

The rain thickened as the train sped yet farther north; the windows were now a solid, shimmering gray, which gradually darkened until lanterns flickered into life all along the corridors and over the luggage racks. The train rattled, the rain hammered, the wind roared and Rohini felt like she was in a haunted train every time she closed her eyes.

The train started to slow down ten minutes later and the girls looked at each other, puzzled.

"We can't be there yet." Padma said while having a look at her watch.

"So why're we stopping?" Ginny asked.

The train was getting slower and slower. As the noise of the pistons fell away, the wind and rain sounded louder than ever against the windows.

Rohini, curious as always, got up to look into the corridor. All along the carriage, heads were sticking curiously out of their compartments.

"D'ya know why we're stopping?" A Hufflepuff boy asked her and Rohini shook her head.

The train came to a stop with a jolt and distant thuds and bangs told them that luggage had fallen out of the racks. Then, without warning, all the lamps went out and they were plunged into total darkness.

"Oh no…" Parvati said, holding Padma and Lavender's hands. "I don't like being in the dark."

"Lumos." Rohini said for she always kept her wand on her. Luna did the same, bringing some light into their compartment which seemed to reassure Parvati.

"D'you think we've broken down?" Rohini heard one of the Weasley twins said from the next wagon.

There was a squeaking sound as Luna wiped a patch clean on the window and peered out.

"There's something moving out there," she said. "I think people are coming aboard…"

"Weird." Rohini said, jolting when she thought she saw something moving on her left and a door slid opened. She turned her head to have a look; and froze.

Standing in the corridor, barely illuminated by the light of her wand, was a cloaked figure that towered to the ceiling. Its face was completely hidden beneath its hood. Rohini gulped when she saw a hand protruding from the cloak and it was glistening, grayish and scabbed, like something dead slowly decaying.

The thing flew closer to her and Rohini took a step backward with a gulp. Suddenly the thing drew a long, slow, rattling breath, as though it were trying to suck something more than air from its surroundings. Rohini barely noticed how the windows' condensation was slowly turning into ice.

Ginny began to step out of the wagon but Rohini barked at her to stay inside. She heard people panicking behind her and Rohini did the only thing she could think of: she ran.

Her breath was coming in white puff now and her skin was covered in goosebumps. She could feel the thing following her into the next wagon and froze when she found herself facing a new cloaked figure. She was now trapped between two of them and already she felt like she could barely move, her whole body paralysed by an intense cold.

The second figure flew closer to her and took one of their odd, long breaths. Rohini felt her own breath catch in her chest. She thought she heard someone calling her name but she couldn't answer, couldn't react; it was as if she had turned into a statue made of ice.

The creature was floating closer and closer but Rohini's vision was covered with black patches. She couldn't tell if she was still standing or if her legs had given up under her, could barely hear anything except her heartbeats that seemed to get slower and the distant scream of a terrified woman that seemed familiar to her. Who was she? Rohini thought through the fog that seemed to invade her mind. Who…?

There was a light. A blinding light, surrounded by shadows. Rohini groaned and closed her eyes that were burning and watering. Her hearing was slowly coming back but she couldn't make up distinct words, only sounds. She felt someone's hand on her shoulder, shaking her a bit.

"What…?" She mumbled as she was forced herself into a sitting position. Opening her eyes again, she waited for them to adjust before looking around. "Fred, George!" She said weakly when she saw the twins sitting on each side of her, looking concerned.

"She lives!" Fred said to his friends, Lee and Angelica, who cheered loudly before the door of the compartment opened.

"Has she woken up?" She heard an unfamiliar voice behind her before Professor Lupin came into view, a friendly but tired smile on his face and handing her a large piece of chocolate. "Here, eat this."

"What happened?" Rohini asked, confused. "What am I doing on the floor?"

"Dementors." Angelica said grimly. "It was the guards of Azkaban."

"Those things?" Rohini asked, taking the chocolate Professor Lupin was handing her. "Thank you."

"I was getting out of the compartment to see what was happening," Fred told her, "When you came running and bumped into one of them. I don't know what he did to you, but you looked pretty dead to me."

"That's reassuring." Rohini said, rubbing her arms. She felt slightly warmer now but still remembered how cold she had felt when stuck between the two Dementors. "What happened next?"

"I heard your friends screaming and someone came running saying a student were being attacked." Professor Lupin said, breaking another piece of chocolate. "I chased the Dementors away and carried you inside with your friends' help."

"Thanks, everyone." Rohini said while taking the chocolate. Eating it was bringing to her an odd feeling of security and comfort. "Did someone else got attacked or fainted?"

"Ah, well, your brother did." Lupin said and Rohini jumped on her feet, ready to go check on Harry but Lupin gently but firmly stopped her. "You don't have to worry, I've taken care of him, too. How do you feel?"

"I don't know." Rohini said. "I mean, Fred isn't wrong when he talked about death; I felt like I was turning into a corpse when this thing attacked; I couldn't move and I felt so cold…"

"I hope you wrote our name on your will, then." George joked and Rohini smiled weakly before looking at Lupin.

"Can I go check on my brother?" She asked and Lupin took a closer look at her before nodding. They both left the compartment and Rohini thanked the twins and their friends one last time before following their new teacher into the last wagon.

She found the compartment just as she left it, except that Neville Longbottom was now sitting with Harry, Ron and Hermione.

Rohini shouted Harry's name and pulled him into a tight embrace.

"Oh my gosh, you're icy cold!" She told him. "Are you ok? Did you hurt yourself when you fell?"

"I'm alright." Harry said, though he looked troubled. "What about you? You look a bit pale."

"I've been attacked, too." Rohini sighed. "Thanks god somebody ran and bumped into Professor Lupin or I don't know what would have happened otherwise…"

"Let's not think about it for now." Professor Lupin said before offering the rest of his chocolate to the twins.

"Why chocolate?" Rohini asked between two bites. She offered the last piece to Neville but he still had some Chocolate frog with him.

"It is the best medicine for the soul, don't you think?" Professor Lupin said and Rohini nodded with a smile. Harry on the other hand still looked grim and Rohini wondered if he, too, had heard the woman's screams.

"Nobody else was attacked?" She asked and they shook their heads. "Why is it always Harry and I…" She sighed and Hermione gently patted her arm.

They didn't talk much during the remainder of the journey. As the controller announced that they were almost there, Rohini decided to go back to her own compartment were the girls were waiting, deadly worried. Rohini told them about what had just happened and her friends exchanged a worried glance.

"What if the Dementors attack us while we're at Hogwarts?" Lavender asked.

"I doubt they will. Dumbledore would never let them." Parvati said but Ginny and Rohini didn't look as convinced. With the past year especially, they had learn the hard way that Hogwarts could still hold many dangers, Dumbledore or not.

"Well, if they do attack," Rohini said with a tinkle in her eyes, "The best solution is to scream Professor Lupin's name and eat as much chocolate as you can."

"Sounds efficient, indeed." Padma said and the girls relaxed a little.

At long last, the train stopped at Hogsmeade station, and there was a great scramble to get outside; owls hooted, cats meowed and students began to push each other on their way to the doors. It was freezing on the tiny platform; rain was driving down in icy sheets but still Rohini was smiling again; after a long, emotional summer, she was back home again.


	7. Chapter 7

Rohini was wondering where Harry was when a friendly face emerged from the darkness.

"Firs' years this way!" called Hagrid. Rohini grinned as she saw the gigantic outline of her friend at the other end of the platform, beckoning the terrified-looking new students forward for their traditional journey across the lake.

Hagrid smiled at her and waved his hand but she had no chance to speak to him because the mass of people around was shunting her away along the platform. They walked out onto a rough mud track, where at least a hundred stagecoaches awaited the remaining students, just like the previous year. It was probably pulled by invisible horses, or so Rohini thought until Luna pointed at them.

"I didn't know Hogwarts had Thestrals!" She said and Rohini gasped.

"What, really? Can you really see them?" She said, looking around with a huge smile on her face. "Oh man, I wish I could see them too!"

"Isn't it only possible if someone has died under your eyes?" Padma asked with a frown and Rohini cooled down a bit, blushing shamefully.

"Oh, yeah, I didn't mean- I just think they are fascinating creatures and-"

"It's ok, silly. I know what you meant." Padma said with a smile. "Now, we should get inside one of the carriages."

They squeezed themselves into a coach and as soon as the door was shut, it set off, bumping and swaying in procession. During the whole flight, Rohini asked questions about the Thestrals' appearance to Luna.

"Do they look just like in the book?" Rohini asked.

"They actually aren't that scary." Luna said with a soft smile.

As the carriage trundled toward a pair of magnificent wrought iron gates, flanked with stone columns topped with winged boars, Rohini lost her smile when she saw two more towering, hooded Dementors, standing guard on either side.

"I hope they will leave soon." Ginny whispered, tensing up. Padma nodded and took Rohini's hand, sharing her reassuring warmth with Rohini who was feeling deadly cold again. The carriage picked up speed on the long, sloping drive up to the castle; Ginny and Luna were leaning out of the tiny window, watching the many turrets and towers draw nearer. At last, the carriage swayed to a halt, and the girls went out.

Guided by Luna, Rohini stepped closer to the Thestrals and awkwardly patted their bony necks. It was an interesting experience, to touch something you couldn't see. Rohini had just spotted Harry, Ron and Hermione and was walking towards them when she grimaced; Malfoy was already bothering her brother, it seemed.

"You fainted, Potter? Is Longbottom telling the truth? You actually fainted?"

Malfoy elbowed past Hermione to block Harry's way up the stone steps to the castle, his face gleeful and his pale eyes glinting maliciously.

"Leave him alone, you ferret face." Rohini said, coming closer. Malfoy's smirk only grew wider.

"Oh, look at that. The watch dog is here. Didn't you faint too?" He said, making his dumb best friends laugh.

"The watch dog is going to tear off this smile out of your face, you little-"

"Is there a problem?" said a mild voice. Professor Lupin was standing behind them with Padma, Luna and Ginny by his side. They had probably asked him to interfere before things turned sour.

Malfoy gave Professor Lupin an insolent stare, which took in the patches on his robes and the delapidated suitcase. With a tiny hint of sarcasm in his voice, he said, "Oh, no—er—Professor," then he smirked at Crabbe and Goyle and led them up the steps into the castle.

"You really are a trouble magnet." Padma sighed and Rohini looked away, sheepish. "Thanks for your help, Professor."

Professor Lupin nodded and they all joined the crowd swarming up the steps, through the giant oak front doors, into the cavernous entrance hall, which was lit with flaming torches, and housed a magnificent marble staircase that led to the upper floors. Rohini's huge grin was back on her face as she waved at some ghosts and said hello to familiar portraits.

The door into the Great Hall stood open at the right; Rohini followed the crowd toward it, but had barely glimpsed the enchanted ceiling, which was black and cloudy tonight, when a voice called, "Potters! Granger! I want to see you three!"

They turned around, surprised. Professor McGonagall, Transfiguration teacher and head of Gryffindor House, was calling over the heads of the crowd. She was a stern-looking witch who wore her hair in a tight bun; her sharp eyes were framed with square spectacles.

Rohini exchanged a confused look with her brother and friend, whispering "did we do something wrong?" and Hermione shook her head, looking pale.

"There's no need to look so worried—I just want a word in my office," she told them. "Move along there, Weasley."

Professor McGonagall ushered them away from the chattering crowd; they accompanied her across the entrance hall, up the marble staircase, and along a corridor.

Once they were in her office, a small room with a large, welcoming fire, Professor McGonagall motioned at the twins and Hermione to sit down. She settled herself behind her desk and said abruptly, "Professor Lupin sent an owl ahead to say that you were taken ill on the train, Potters."

Before Harry or Rohini could reply, there was a soft knock on the door and Madam Pomfrey, the nurse, came bustling in.

Rohini groaned and Harry turned red.

"I'm fine," he said, "I don't need anything—"

"Oh, it's you, is it?" said Madam Pomfrey, ignoring this and bending down to stare closely at him. "I suppose you've been doing something dangerous again? Oh, Mrs. Potter. That's unusual."

"It was a Dementor, Poppy," said Professor McGonagall.

They exchanged a dark look, and Madam Pomfrey clucked disapprovingly.

"Setting Dementors around a school," she muttered, pushing back Harry's hair and feeling his forehead before doing the same to Rohini. "They won't be the last ones who collapse. Yes, he's all clammy. Terrible things, they are, and the effect they have on people who are already delicate—"

Rohini snorted; she had never been called delicate before. Harry was looking furious.

"What do they need?" said Professor McGonagall crisply. "Bed rest? Should they perhaps spend tonight in the hospital wing?"

"I'm fine!" said Harry, jumping up. Rohini didn't understand why he was reacting so badly.

"Well, they should have some chocolate, at the very least," said Madam Pomfrey, who was now trying to peer into Rohini's eyes.

"We've already had some," said Harry. "Professor Lupin gave us some. He gave it to the both of us."

"Did he, now?" said Madam Pomfrey approvingly. "So we've finally got a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher who knows his remedies?"

"Oh, thanks god." Rohini sighed. She had always been disappointed about how bad their DADA classes were when it was supposed to be such a fascinating subject.

"Are you sure you feel all right, Potters?" Professor McGonagall said sharply.

"Yes," said Harry tiringly.

"Absolutely certain." Rohini added with a nod.

"Very well. Kindly wait outside while I have a quick word with Miss Granger about her course schedule, then we can go down to the feast together."

They went back into the corridor with Madam Pomfrey, who left for the hospital wing, muttering to herself.

"Hey." Rohini said, nudging Harry. "What is bothering you?"

"Nothing." Harry said moodily and Rohini felt a bit hurt by his attitude. Harry must have felt it for he apologised.

"Are you worried that it will happen again?" Rohini asked. "I'm sure they will be forced to keep their distance now. Dumbledore will never let them inside."

"I know. I just… I feel weak, Rohini." Harry finally admitted and his shoulders slouched a bit, as if he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. Rohini sighed and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Harry." She said and Harry looked at her tiringly. "There's nothing wrong with feeling weak from time to time. We've been through so much already; we need a rest from being the heroes that save the day. And don't listen to Malfoy; he's just bitter because you're a better Seeker than him and we freed his family's slave last year."

"And here you are, being all wise." Harry sighed though he looked slightly better. "Padma is having a good influence on you." He said and this time, he had a twinkle in his eyes.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Rohini grumbled, looking away as her cheeks got warmer.

Finally Hermione emerged looking very happy about something, followed by Professor McGonagall, and the three of them made their way back down the marble staircase to the Great Hall.

Rohini looked at the enchanted ceiling, one of her favourite things about Hogwarts. It was quite cloudy which meant it was probably still raining outside. Each of the long House tables was lined with students, their faces glimmering by the light of thousands of candles, which were floating over the tables in midair. Professor Flitwick, who was a tiny little wizard with a shock of white hair, was carrying an ancient hat and a three-legged stool out of the hall.

"Oh," said Hermione softly, "we've missed the Sorting!"

Professor McGonagall strode off toward her empty seat at the staff table, and Harry and Hermione set off in the other direction, toward the Gryffindor table. As for Rohini, she headed to the Ravenclaw table and sat between Padma and Luna.

"What was it all about?" Padma asked.

"McGonagall just wanted to make sure Harry and I were ok after the Dementors' attack in the train." Rohini explained.

"That's nice of her." Luna said and the girls nodded before looking at the teachers' table where the headmaster had stood up to speak.

Professor Dumbledore, though very old, always gave an impression of great energy. He had several feet of long silver hair and beard, half-moon spectacles, and an extremely crooked nose. He was often described as the greatest wizard of the age and was respected and thrusted by almost everybody. Rohini did admire him, but she still had a few problems with him.

"Welcome!" said Dumbledore, beaming. "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I have a few things to say to you all, and as one of them is very serious, I think it best to get it out of the way before you become befuddled by our excellent feast…"

Dumbledore cleared his throat and continued, "As you will all be aware after their search of the Hogwarts Express, our school is presently playing host to some of the Dementors of Azkaban, who are here on Ministry of Magic business."

He paused, and Rohini didn't miss the way every teachers pinched their lips.

"They are stationed at every entrance to the grounds," Dumbledore continued, "and while they are with us, I must make it plain that nobody is to leave school without permission. Dementors are not to be fooled by tricks or disguises—or even Invisibility Cloaks," he added blandly, and Rohini looked away, knowing well who Dumbledore was targeting here.

"It is not in the nature of a Dementor to understand pleading or excuses. I therefore warn each and every one of you to give them no reason to harm you. I look to the prefects, and our new Head Boy and Girl, to make sure that no student runs afoul of the Dementors," he said.

Dumbledore paused again; he looked very seriously around the hall, and nobody moved or made a sound.

"On a happier note," he continued, "I am pleased to welcome two new teachers to our ranks this year.

"First, Professor Lupin, who has kindly consented to fill the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

There was some scattered, rather unenthusiastic applause. Still, the Weasleys twins and Lee Jordan cheered loudly and the girls applauded vehemently.

Professor Lupin looked particularly shabby next to all the other teachers in their best robes.

"Wow, Snape looks like he's just swallowed a Basilisk." Rohini pointed out.

Professor Snape, the Potions master, was staring along the staff table at Professor Lupin. It was common knowledge that Snape wanted the Defense Against the Dark Arts job but the expression twisting his thin, sallow face was beyond anger: it was loathing. Rohini frowned for she knew that expression only too well; it was the look Snape wore every time he set eyes on Harry and her.

"Maybe it's an old feud? They seemed to be around the same age." Luna said and Rohini raised her head, interested; if it was true, then Professor Lupin might have known their parents.

"As to our second new appointment," Dumbledore continued and Rohini forget about it, "Well, I am sorry to tell you that Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creatures teacher, retired at the end of last year in order to enjoy more time with his remaining limbs. However, I am delighted to say that his place will be filled by none other than Rubeus Hagrid, who has agreed to take on this teaching job in addition to his gamekeeping duties."

Rohini cheered loudly, joining the loud applauses which were tumultuous at the Gryffindor table in particular. Hagrid was ruby-red in the face and staring down at his enormous hands, his wide grin hidden in the tangle of his black beard.

"That explains the books." She told Padma as the clapping stopped. Only Hagrid would find it harmless to make them buy monstrous books.

As Professor Dumbledore started speaking again, they saw that Hagrid was wiping his eyes on the tablecloth.

"Well, I think that's everything of importance," said Dumbledore. "Let the feast begin!"

The golden plates and goblets before them filled suddenly with food and drink. Rohini, who had always had a surprising appetite for her size, helped herself to everything she could reach (except the carrots, as usual) and began to eat.

It was a delicious feast; the hall echoed with talk, laughter, and the clatter of knives and forks. Rohini thought she saw Malfoy doing something that suspiciously looked like he was pretending to be Harry and her fainting but she shrugged it off; Malfoy will not waste her first night back to the castle.

At long last, when the last morsels of pumpkin tart had melted from the golden platters, Dumbledore gave the word that it was time for them all to go to bed. Rohini saw Harry, Ron and Hermione going to see Hagrid and she decided to do the same.

"Congratulations, Hagrid!" She said while hugging the giant man, her arms too short to completely go around his waist.

"All down ter you," said Hagrid, wiping his shining face on his napkin as he looked up at them. "Can' believe it… great man, Dumbledore… came straight down to me hut after Professor Kettleburn said he'd had enough… It's what I always wanted…"

Overcome with emotion, he buried his face in his napkin, and Professor McGonagall shooed them away.

"I wonder…" Rohini said, walking towards the door with her brother and friends, "Do you think that now that Hagrid was proven innocent for good, he might be able to, I don't know, take courses again?"

"What, like, joining us in classes?" Ron said, amused. "He's an adult!"

"It's not uncommon for Muggle adults to go back to school." Rohini pointed out and Hermione agreed. Ron seemed shocked by the concept and maintained that Hagrid would probably have difficulties to blend with the rest of the students.

Rohini parted way with them to join Padma and Luna who were waiting for her and they followed the rest of the Ravenclaw towards their dorms.

Luna waved at the ghost of the Grey Lady who nodded politely at them before disappearing. Luna told them that she often had talks with the ghost last year when she felt a bit lonely. Rohini told her that Padma and she will always be there too if she needed to talk and Luna smiled, but said nothing.

Rohini sighed when she finally sat on her familiar five four-poster beds, whispering "Feels good to be home."

Padma, who had the bed on her left, complained that her hair were all tangled and Rohini asked if she wanted some help with it. For the next five minutes, Rohini helped her friend quietly while Padma hummed an unfamiliar melody.

"Say Padma, what was the language your parents used while we were shopping together? They talked to us in English, but switched to a new one when they talked to each other."

"It was Kannada." Padma explained. "Mum's parents moved from Kerala to England before she was born, which explain why her accent is not as thick as dad's. He moved from Kerala to England when he was 8. Mum and he were living in the same neighbourhood and she was the one who taught him English. Then they went to Hogwarts together and slowly but surely fell in love."

"That's adorable." Rohini said and Padma smiled fondly. "Can you and Parvati speak Kannada too?"

"Not as much as I wish I could. We both understand what our parents are saying, but it's harder to answer. It's a bit like a French person who would learn English. They need a lot of practice before being able to have a proper conversation."

"You must be already good if you were able to stay at your Uncle's place last summer." Rohini pointed out and Padma thought about it before admitting that Rohini was probably right. They had to stop talking however for the other girls in the room shushed them.

"Done." Rohini whispered.

"Thanks." Padma said softly and Rohini smiled before wishing her good night as she slipped under her own bed. As everybody else fell asleep, Rohini realised the moon was bright enough for her to write and she pulled her journal out of her trunk as quietly as she could, as well as a pen that she had stolen from Uncle Vernon; she loved how aesthetically pleasant using a quill was, but had to admit Muggles' pens were much more practical.

Besides, as long as she didn't use it in classes, she should be alright. She faced a new problem however as she stared at the first page. How should she address it? "Dear Diary"? "Dear whateveryournameis?"

Biting her pen, she thought about it for a few minutes before writing:

" _Dear self,_

 _It sounds a bit odd to talk to myself, but even weirder to talk to a diary. Today was quite eventful (…)"_

And so she wrote and wrote until two pages and a half were already completed. When she stopped, she realised it might have been close to midnight and felt quite exhausted. She put her diary under her pillow and buried her head into it with a sight.

Yes, there truly was no better feeling than being home and safe… for now, at least.

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 **Hi guys! I hope everybody is doing well. I finally saw my shrink again and will have access to sleeping pills again. Man, I was so exhausted lately... But now I'm gonna be alight! yeay! I hope I didn't get the language / location wrong for the Patils backstory... I tried to use reliable sources on google for that, and hope i didn't do a mistake!**

 **Have a lovely day you all!**


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm so, so sorry for the wait. Life had been strange lately and i had to deal with a few family problems. I'm finally back, though! This chapter was fun to write and I hope you will like it, too! Thanks for everybody liking/following/reviewing on this fic. It means a lot to me 3**

 **Love you all!**

 **-Truc**

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One thing Rohini was bad at was waking up in the morning. It took both Padma and Luna's efforts to finally get her out of bed and help her put on her sweater. Rohini tried to explain that she had stayed up late but all she was able to do was yawn loudly.

When they finally entered the Great Hall for breakfast, Rohini annoyingly noticed the Slytherins pointing at her and pretending to swoon. Padma told her to ignore them and Rohini was happy to obey.

It wasn't much the Slytherins behaviour that bothered Rohini, but more how a few Ravenclaws tried to imitate them before Percy's girlfriend told them to stop. Rohini gave her a grateful smile before going back to her cereals. She had barely began than the Great Hall got invaded by the Owls, dancing above their heads (or crashing into the table like Errol) that delivered the mail and the course schedules.

"Oh, I begin with Potions today." Luna said and her friends wished her good luck. "What about you?"

"Lemme see…" Rohini said, putting her glasses on. "We begin with Transfiguration, awesome!"

Transfiguration was -along with Charms- Rohini's favourite subject. Their weekly schedule went like this:

 **Monday:** Potions with the Slytherins, break, Transfiguration, lunch, and the whole afternoon free.

 **Tuesday** : Charms, Care of Magical Creatures, break, Divination, Potions, lunch, Magic Theory with the Hufflepuffs, Herbology, dinner and Astronomy at midnight.

 **Wednesday:** History of Magic with the Gryffindors, DADA, break, Care of M.C, Study of Ancient Runes, lunch, Divination with the Slytherins, Astronomy.

 **Thursday:** Transfiguration, Care of M.C, break, DADA, Study of Ancient Runes, lunch, Divination, Charms.

And finally, **Friday:** Herbology with the Gryffindors, break, Charms, DADA with the Gryffindors, lunch, History of Magic with the Hufflepuffs.

"Are you kidding me? Who want their free afternoon to be on Monday?" Rohini groaned and Luna pointed out it was her case the previous year. "Yeah, but you have it on Friday now, that's so unfair…"

"The World isn't fair." Padma said wisely, making them chuckle. "We're having every new subject today, that's great! I don't know if you're going to be numerous in Ancient Runes, though. It's pretty uninteresting."

"What, you kidding? Padma, it's like, I don't know, learning a new language from one of Tolkien's books!" Rohini said excitingly and Padma shrugged. Rohini had been trying to convince her to read the Hobbit for two years now, in vain.

"We should probably go if we don't want to be late." Padma said and Rohini nodded, saying hello to Harry, Ron and Hermione as they get out of the Great Hall.

"What do you begin with?" She asked them.

"Divination. No idea how to get there, though." Harry sighed.

"Good luck. Try not to see bad omens everywhere." Rohini teased him and Harry rolled his eyes before taking a different corridor.

"What did you mean by that?" Padma asked and Rohini told her about how the stray dog from two months ago had been bothering Harry. Padma's expression grew serious as she told Rohini that Harry was probably right to be on his guards.

"Divination isn't a laughable subject. Mum predicted one of her colleagues' death once." Padma told her.

"Really?" Rohini asked, curious. They had reached the Transfiguration class by now and hurried to sit on the front row. "I mean, from a Muggle point of view, it's usually seen as some kind of farce. But I guess it's because they don't have any "gifts" to begin with. Maybe my opinion will change later."

"It's ok, I'll not force you to believe in omens." Padma assured her just as McGonagall came in. Rohini was overjoyed when the old teacher announced they were going to talk about Animagi.

"An Animagus is a witch or wizard who can morph him or herself into an animal at will. It is a learned, rather than hereditary skill, unlike those of a Metamorphmagus." Professor McGonagall said before turning into a Tabby cat under the students' amazed gaze. It wasn't the first time they've seen her do it, but it was still quite impressive.

She stayed like this for a whole minute before turning back and continuing her lesson.

"It takes skill, practise, and patience for wizards and witches to become Animagi. The process of becoming an Animagus is long and arduous, and has the potential to backfire and cause the transformation to go horribly wrong. Many witches and wizards simply feel that their time might better be employed in other ways, as the skill is of limited practical use unless one has a great need of disguise or concealment."

Rohini thought about it. She had been considering learning this difficult process since she first read about it, back at Diagon Alley.

"Part of the process by which one becomes an Animagus is holding the leaf of a mandrake in their mouth for an entire month, using the leaf for the creation of a potion, and reciting an incantation (Amato Animo Animato Animagus) on a daily basis." Professor McGonagall said and a few people grimaced at the idea of keeping a leaf in their mouth for so long.

"Once the initial training is over, an Animagus can change at will, with or without a wand. Animagi can only take on the form of one specific animal. This animal form is not chosen by the wizard, but determined by their personality and inner traits."

Everybody began to whisper about what kind of Animagus and McGonagall let them talk for a few seconds before catching their attention back.

"An Animagus in animal form is also not restrained by the lifespan limit of the creature that they otherwise transform into, thankfully for me." She said, deadpan, though a few students chuckled at the joke.

"In addition, an Animagus will appear to lose their clothing upon morphing if they are wearing clothing. The clothing will reappear upon re-establishing the human form. An explanation would be if the clothes themselves are physically involved in the morphing, i.e. transforming into the skin and fur of the animal form. Any question?" She asked and Rohini raised her hand. "Yes, Mrs. Potter?"

"Professor, how old does one need to be to become an Animagus?" Rohini asked.

"It is more about skills and strength, rather than age." Professor McGonagall said. "I had the privilege to become an Animagus by the age of seventeen by being taught by Professor Dumbledore. However, students at Uagadou can become Animagi by the age of fourteen."

"Wow." A few students gasped.

During the rest of the lesson, Rohini daydreamed about becoming an Animagus. What kind of animals would she be? Professor McGonagall said it was determined by one's personality and inner traits. What kind of person was she?

"Strong willed." Padma said when Rohini asked her. "Awkward. Bold. Sensitive."

"I'm not sensitive!" Rohini pouted and Padma smiled. "I think you would be a dove." She told Padma who raised an eyebrow. "I don't know why. Just… yeah, that's the first think I could think of."

"Well, I think you could be a horse." Padma said.

"Only if it's a unicorn, then." Rohini laughed and Padma affectuously called her an idiot. "Damn, that was so interesting!"

"Yeah, good way to begin this third year." Padma agreed, taking a look at their new schedule. "We have Care of Magical Creatures now. I'm not really looking forward to using our monstrous books…"

"Yeah, me neither." Rohini said, wondering what Hagrid had prepared for them.

The rain had stopped overnight and the sky was now brightly blue. They went down the sloping lawns to Hagrid's hut on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Hagrid was waiting for his class at the door of his hut. He stood in his moleskin overcoat, with Fang the boarhound at his heels, looking impatient to start.

"C'mon, now, get a move on!" he called as the class approached. "Got a real treat for yeh today! Great lesson comin' up! Everyone here? Right, follow me!"

Hagrid strolled off around the edge of the Forbidden Forest, and five minutes later, they found themselves outside a kind of paddock. Everybody began to whispers, sounding more or less nervous.

"Everyone gather 'round the fence here!" Hagrid called, flashing a smile at Rohini. "That's it—make sure yeh can see—now, firs' thing yeh'll want ter do is open yer books—"

"How?" Someone asked.

"Eh?" said Hagrid.

"How do we open our books?" Rohini repeated. "They are a bit… excited?" She added, trying not to sound too nervous as Hagrid looked crestfallen; every Ravenclaws had tied up their book in one way or another. Rohini could swear her own book was growling at her.

"Yeh've got ter stroke 'em," said Hagrid, as though this was the most obvious thing in the world. "Look—"

He took Padma's copy and ripped off the rope that bound it. The book tried to bite, but Hagrid ran a giant forefinger down its spine, and the book shivered, and then fell open and lay quiet in his hand.

"Ooooooh!" Rohini said before doing exactly the same. "It works!" She gasped, amazed, and Hagrid's smile was back on his face as everybody imitated them.

"Righ' then," said Hagrid,, "so yeh've got yer books an'now… yeh need the Magical Creatures. Yeah. So I'll go an' get 'em. Hang on…"

He strode away from them into the forest and out of sight. They all began to speculate about what kind of creatures they were going to deal with when Lisa Turpin squealed loudly, pointing toward the opposite side of the paddock.

"Holy-"Rohini began with stars in her eyes.

Trotting toward them were a dozen of the most beautiful creatures Rohini had ever seen: Hippogriffs. Those gorgeous beasts had the bodies, hind legs, and tails of horses, but the front legs, wings, and heads of what seemed to be giant eagles, with menacing beaks and large, brilliantly orange eyes.

The talons on their front legs were half a foot long and deadly looking. Each of the beasts had a thick leather collar around its neck, which was attached to a long chain, and the ends of all of these were held in the vast hands of Hagrid, who came jogging into the paddock behind the creatures.

"Hippogriffs!" Hagrid roared happily, waving a hand at them. "Beau'iful, aren' they?"

"Stunning." Rohini said and Padma laughed at her reaction.

"You really love dangerous creatures, don't you?" She whispered and Rohini shrugged.

"So," said Hagrid, rubbing his hands together and beaming around, "if yeh wan' ter come a bit nearer—"

No one seemed to want to except from Rohini and Padma who hid behind her.

"Now, firs' thing yeh gotta know abou' hippogriffs is, they're proud," said Hagrid. "Easily offended, hippogriffs are. Don't never insult one, 'cause it might be the last thing yeh do."

"Neat." Rohini said and Padma gave her a weird look.

"Yeh always wait fer the hippogriff ter make the firs' move," Hagrid continued. "It's polite, see? Yeh walk toward him, and yeh bow, an' yeh wait. If he bows back, yeh're allowed ter touch him. If he doesn' bow, then get away from him sharpish, 'cause those talons hurt."

"Right—who wants ter go fir-"

"Me!" Rohini said, trying not to look too excited. Padma politely declined and took a few steps back. Most of the class backed farther away in answer.

"Of course yeh do." Hagrid said, beaming at Rohini. "Yeh need to climb over the paddock fence, slowly."

Rohini did what she was told and jumped over the fence easily from years of practice of running away from Dudley and his gang.

"Right then—let's see how yeh get on with Buckbeak." Hagrid said, untying one of the chains. Buckbeak was a gray hippogriff and Rohini had no words to describe how it felt to be standing a few steps away from such a creature.

"Easy, now, Rohini," said Hagrid quietly. "Yeh've got eye contact, now try not ter blink… Hippogriffs don' trust yeh if yeh blink too much…"

"Ok." Rohini breathed as Buckbeak turned his great, sharp head and stared at her with fierce orange eyes.

"Tha's it," said Hagrid. "Tha's it, Rohini… now, bow…"

Rohini did as she was told and Buckbeak slightly tilted his head, staring haughtily at her… and then, the hippogriff suddenly bent its scaly front knees and sank into what was an unmistakable bow. Rohini could tell everybody was finally releasing the breath they had been holding.

"Well done, Rohini!" said Hagrid, ecstatic. "Right—yeh can touch him! Pat his beak, go on! Not too fast, thou'."

Unable to believe her luck, Rohini patted the beak several times and the hippogriff closed its eyes lazily, as though enjoying it.

"You beautiful, amazing creature." Rohini whispered as the class broke into applause, a few students cheering loudly.

"Righ' then," said Hagrid. "I reckon he might' let yeh ride him!"

"Seriously?" Rohini gasped. "Are you sure it will not be too much for him?"

"Yeh weight nothin' for him." Hagrid assured her. "Yeh climb up there, jus' behind the wing joint, an' mind yeh don' pull any of his feathers out, he won' like that…"

Rohini wondered if it was like riding a horse. It was a bit awkward and she found herself half hugging Buckbeak to be sure not to pull on his feathers.

"Go on, then!" roared Hagrid, slapping the hippogriff's hindquarters.

Without warning, twelve-foot wings flapped open on either side of Rohini who yelped from surprise; when Hagrid had talk about riding the hippogriff, she thought it was only for a few seconds, not to take a flight!

It was nothing like a broomstick; she felt herself rocking backward and forward as the hindquarters of the hippogriff rose and fell with its wings. It should have felt uncomfortable and awkward. But to Rohini, it was the best instant of her life.

Buckbeak flew over the paddock, above her friends and towards the lake, Rohini laughing as water splashed over her face as his talons touched the surface of the lake. She cheered loudly and waved at the first years taking their first flying lesson, looking at her with their eyes wide opened.

The landing wasn't as agreeable as the flight but Rohini was too delighted to care. She thanked Buckbeak for this wonderful moment and the hippogriff lazily blinked.

"Good work, Rohini!" roared Hagrid as everyone cheered. "Okay, who else wants a go?"

The rest of the class climbed cautiously into the paddock. Hagrid untied the hippogriffs one by one, and soon people were bowing nervously. Padma decided to go with Buckbeak too though she looked extremely anxious. It took more time for her to get Buckbeak to bow, and she was ready to give up when the creature finally did and let her pet his beak.

"There's no way I'll try to flight though." She warned Rohini who laughed before giving a discreet thumb up to Hagrid.

Rohini was the last one to leave back to the castle, Padma pulling her by the hand to make sure she would not run back to the paddock.

"You know, maybe you should consider becoming a Magizoologist." Padma said. "I mean, you love animals and creatures of all kind, you want to become an Animagus, you always look more comfortable with animals than with humans…"

"That's not true." Rohini cut her. "I always feel the most comfortable when I'm with you."

Padma said nothing, though her smile grew wider.

Professor Lupin wasn't there when they arrived at his first Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson. It wasn't the first time a teacher arrived late and so they all waited outside the room, wondering if he would last more than one year.

Lupin smiled vaguely when he saw them all waiting outside. He was as shabby as ever but looked healthier than he had on the train, as though he had had a few square meals. It made Rohini happy for she was still grateful for his help, back then.

"Good morning," he said. "Today's will be a practical lesson. You will need only your wands."

The whole class looked at each other excitingly. They had never had a practical Defense Against the Dark Arts before. They all speculated about the subject of this special lesson until Professor Lupin waved at them to follow him.

"Wonder where we're going?" Padma asked Rohini.

"Maybe we're going to the lake! You know, to learn how to deal with the giant squid!" She said and blushed as Professor Lupin chuckled.

"I'm afraid this is a subject more suitable to Care of Magic Creatures." He said as he led them along the deserted corridor and around a corner. They met the ghost of the Grey Lady who seemed surprised to see so many students in the corridor. She politely nodded before vanishing and Rohini remembered Luna saying she was quite shy.

Professor Lupin led them down a second corridor and stopped, right outside the staffroom door.

"Inside, please," he said, opening it and standing back.

The staffroom, a long, paneled room full of old, mismatched chairs, was empty. However, the door had barely been closed that it opened again to reveal Professor Snape who raised an eyebrow and looked at them disdainfully, his eyes narrowing as he spotted Rohini.

"I wasn't aware this staffroom was now open to anyone." He said and Lupin smiled politely.

"I didn't mean to disturb your break, Severus. Or maybe you would like to stay with us?" Lupin asked, making Snape sneer.

"I'd rather not witness the upcoming catastrophe. Seeing them fail miserably during my class is enough." He said before leaving again.

"Heartless Bat." Rohini mumbled.

"Now, then," said Professor Lupin, beckoning the class toward the end of the room, where there was nothing but an old wardrobe where the teachers kept their spare robes. As Professor Lupin went to stand next to it, the wardrobe gave a sudden wobble, banging off the wall.

"Nothing to worry about," said Professor Lupin calmly because a few people had jumped backward in alarm. "There's a boggart in there."

"Oooooh!" Rohini couldn't help but say, getting a few annoyed side glances.

"Boggarts like dark, enclosed spaces," said Professor Lupin. "Wardrobes, the gap beneath beds, the cupboards under sinks—I've even met one that had lodged itself in a grandfather clock. This one moved in yesterday afternoon, and I asked the headmaster if the staff would leave it to give my third years some practice.

"So, the first question we must ask ourselves is, what is a boggart?"

Rohini and Zach put up their hands. They politely tell the other to go on before settling on Zach.

"It's a shape-shifter," he said. "It can take the shape of whatever it thinks will frighten us most, like spiders or clowns."

A few students shivered and Rohini wondered what it was about clowns that seemed to be universally spooky.

"Couldn't have put it better myself," said Professor Lupin. "Would you like to add something to that, Rohini?" He asked and Rohini nodded before saying:

"Nobody knows what a boggart looks like when he is alone because it immediately shift into what scare you the most as soon as you look at it."

"This means," said Professor Lupin, smiling at her, "We have a huge advantage over the boggart before we begin. Have you spotted it, Lisa?" He asked.

"Well, we are obviously higher in number so he will be confused and unable to take a proper shape." Lisa answered.

"Precisely," said Professor Lupin. "It's always best to have company when you're dealing with a boggart. He becomes confused. Which should he become, a headless corpse or a flesh-eating slug? ( a few students made a disgusted noise) I once saw a boggart make that very mistake—tried to frighten two people at once and turned himself into half a slug. Not remotely frightening."

Rohini tried to imagine it and snorted.

"The charm that repels a boggart is simple, yet it requires force of mind. You see, the thing that really finishes a boggart is laughter. What you need to do is force it to assume a shape that you find amusing.

"We will practice the charm without wands first. After me, please… riddikulus!"

"Riddikulus!" said the class together. It did feel a bit ridiculous but it was also quite funny.

"Good," said Professor Lupin. "Very good. But that was the easy part, I'm afraid. You see, the word alone is not enough. Now, anyone would like to volunteer?"

The wardrobe shook again and even Rohini took a step back. She wasn't sure of what her biggest fear was supposed to be, but she sure didn't want to be the first one to show it. Professor Lupin looked at them with a twinkle in his eye before asking Padma to take a step forward. Rohini wished her good luck before giving her friend a little push.

"Right, Padma," said Professor Lupin. "First things first: what would you say is the thing that frightens you most in the world?"

"Cobras." Padma said and Rohini had to admit she was surprised; Padma had always been able to keep a straight face when they had talk about snakes, basilisks and being Parseltongue last year. Her best friend was truly amazing.

"Cobras, an understandable fear." Professor Lupin said with a nod. Padma looked down. "Now, is there anything that you find funny? Maybe something from your childhood; it's usually the best source of fun."

"There was this jack-in-the-box that my sister got for our birthday." Padma said, a fond smile on her lips. "She yelled the first time it jumped opened. It was hilarious."

"Good. When the boggart bursts out of this wardrobe, Padma, and sees you, it will assume the form of a cobra," said Lupin. "And you will raise your wand—thus—and cry 'Riddikulus'—and concentrate hard on your sister's old toy. Trust me, I'm sure you will do well." He assured Padma who nodded nervously.

Rohini crossed her fingers behind her back, hoping for Padma to be alright.

"If Padma is successful, the boggart is likely to shift his attention to each of us in turn," said Professor Lupin. "I would like all of you to take a moment now to think of the thing that scares you most, and imagine how you might force it to look comical…"

The room went quiet and once again, Rohini wondered what she feared the most. She hated carrots, but she obviously didn't fear the flashy vegetables. There was the Basilisk of course but she had been able to defeat it with Harry's help so it wasn't her biggest fear either.

Then, there was Lord Voldemort—a Voldemort returned to full strength though it was the same as the Basilisk; she had seen him defeated, reduced to share the back of a teacher's head to survive. A more recent fear would have been the Dementors. They were frightening creatures and just thinking about them made her shiver. Was it her biggest fear?

"Everyone ready?" said Professor Lupin.

Only a few timid "yes" answered him. Padma glanced back at Rohini who forced a reassuring smile on her lips.

"Padma, we're going to back away," said Professor Lupin. "Let you have a clear field, all right? I'll call the next person forward… Everyone back, now, so Padma can get a clear shot—"

They all retreated, backed against the walls, leaving the poor girl alone beside the wardrobe. Padma rose her chin bravely and held her wand ready.

"On the count of three, Padma," said Professor Lupin, who was pointing his own wand at the handle of the wardrobe. "One—two—three—now!"

A jet of sparks shot from the end of Professor Lupin's wand and hit the doorknob. The wardrobe burst open. A few students yelled as a huge, hissing Cobra slipped out of the furniture, its eyes glowing as it slowly raise in the air, looking down at Padma.

Padma gulped loudly and backed away, her wand up, obviously terrified. Rohini closed her eyes, silently urging Padma to act.

"Riddikulus!" Padma finally shout and the Cobra suddenly began to turn on itself before turning into a giant jack-in-the-box toy. Lisa yelled at the creepy smiling clown and backed up with a few others. Padma was laughing and Rohini did the same, loving how proud her friend looked on this instant.

Professor Lupin laughed with them and asked Zach to follow while he put on some music that made them want to dance along. shouted,

Zachariah walked forward, biting his lips. The giant toy stopped moving and with a crack, turned into a stinky, horrible troll.

"Riddikulus!" cried Zach.

He probably remembered hearing from what had happened back in first year for the troll's head turned into a pumpkin and he tripped over his own feet, making everybody laugh. Zach whispered a thank you to Rohini who flashed him a smile.

Followed a banshee, a huge moth (what on earth?), a vampire than looked oddly like a famous singer, Peeves, The Bloody Baron, A giant sloth, a horse… and before she knew it, Rohini was the one standing in front of the Bogart that was currently looking like a rainbow unicorn.

With a crack, the Bogart changed appearance… and turned into Lily Potter. A whisper ran along the Ravenclaws, probably wondering who the pretty sad looking lady was. Rohini opened her mouth, half confused but ready to cast Riddikulus when her mother was suddenly surrounded by a green halo and began to scream, the same terrifying scream Rohini had heard when facing the Dementors in the train.

"Here!" shouted Professor Lupin suddenly, hurrying forward as Rohini just stared, unable to move. She wanted to scream and reach for her mother, she wanted to take her in her arms and tell her how sorry she was, how-

Crack!

Her mother vanished, turning into a silvery-white orb hanging in the air in front of Lupin, who yelled, "Riddikulus!"

Crack! The strange orb, the moon?, turned into a balloon and flew back inside the wardrobe. Nobody laughed however, staring warily at Rohini who hadn't moved. She didn't notice Professor Lupin congratulating everybody and giving a few points to Ravenclaw.

She didn't hear Padma calling for her, barely twitching as her friend took her hand and tried to pull her away from the wardrobe.

"Padma, can I have a moment with Rohini please?" Professor Lupin asked and Padma hesitated before nodding.

Professor Lupin then grabbed a chair and told Rohini to sit for a minute. She didn't realise she was shaking until Professor Lupin handed her a piece of chocolate.

"Didn't know it worked with Bogarts too." Rohini half joked, taking a small bite. The bitterness of the black chocolate helped her to get back to her senses. "I'm sorry." She then said, looking away.

"No need to apologise. I should have act sooner." Professor Lupin said and Rohini gave him a puzzled look. He looked suddenly just as exhausted as he had been back in the train. "You and Harry have been through a lot. I should have expected this kind of trauma and interfere sooner."

"I'm not traumatised." Rohini said. "I didn't- I didn't even know- I mean, we were one year old so it's not like I should have remembered this." She said, clenching her fists. Her mother's last instant… "Professor?" She then asked. "Did you… did you know them? Our parents?"

A shadow passed on Professor Lupin's face and his left eye twitched as he answered. "Yes, we were- I was a Gryffindor, too." He said and Rohini felt like he wasn't being totally honest but she didn't push the topic.

"Thanks for the chocolate." She said instead and Professor Lupin seemed to relax a bit. "I should begin to carry some everywhere, too." She added with a weak smile before standing up, her legs still a bit shaky. "Sorry again for ending your class this way. It was really interesting."

"Glad you think so." Professor Lupin said and Rohini smiled weakly before leaving the staffroom and the Bogart behind. Padma was waiting for her outside and asked her if she was alright.

"This lady… it was your mum, wasn't it?" She asked softly and Rohini nodded. They walked in silence for a while, Rohini heading to her Study of Ancient Runes class. "You know, it's the same for me." Padma suddenly said and Rohini gave her a confused look.

"The cobra. I fear them because when I was younger, we were playing with our Indian cousins in a field and one of them got attacked by a cobra. None of us could use magic and we were quite far from their house. He almost didn't make it."

"I'm sorry." Rohini said. "Must have been awful. You were six when you went to India last time, weren't you?"

"Oh, you remember!" Padma said, looking genuinely surprise. "Yes, we were six. It was the only bad thing that happened during our trip but it was enough to scare me for life."

"Good thing you never faced the Basilisk then." Rohini said and they smiled at each other. "Well, this is the classroom. Hope I'm not too late." She said and Padma nodded before leaving.

"Padma?" Rohini called and her best friend turned to look at her. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Padma said with a smile and Rohini felt slightly better as she watched her friend disappearing behind a corner before joining the rest of her class.


	9. Chapter 9

Even though the Study of Ancient Runes class was extremely interesting, Rohini couldn't fully concentrate, thinking over and over about what had happened during the DADA class. Her mother had looked so real on this instant; Rohini couldn't believe how alive, how young she had seemed when standing in front of her.

"Mrs. Potter?" The teacher (Rohini couldn't remember her name) called. "Are you alright? You look a bit pale."

"I'm alright, Mrs." Rohini said, blushing as the five other students glanced at her. Hermione was sitting in the front row and questioned her silently. "Later." Rohini mouthed at her and her friend nodded before paying attention back to the teacher.

Rohini tried to do the same, but it was impossible to ignore the image of her mother floating in her mind. Her flamboyant hair, her beautiful eyes… Rohini wished she was that pretty. But the melancholic woman suddenly began to scream, surrounded by a green flash and Rohini pinched her lips, trying to hold back a desperate yell.

She didn't realise the class had ended until the teacher gently shook her shoulder and told her it was time for lunch. Rohini apologised and hurried to head towards the Great Hall. She was a bit surprised that Hermione hadn't wait for her.

She had almost reached the Great Hall when she heard a loud sniff on her left. Stopping, she turned her head and frowned when she saw Hagrid, half hidden in the shadow, sobbing and blowing his nose loudly.

"Hagrid?" She asked, coming closer to her friend who jumped at his name. "Oh, Hagrid, what's wrong? Are you alright?"

"Rohini, 'didn' except yeh. I- yeh 'ven't heard about it yet, have yeh?"

"Heard about what?" Rohini asked, confused and Hagrid began to sob even louder. "Hagrid, what happened?"

"It's Malfoy." Hagrid finally said. "Buckbeak attacked him. He's in the Hospital right now, 's my fault."

" _What_?" Rohini asked, feeling a sudden burning anger growing inside her chest. "This little- Oh Hagrid, I'm so sorry this idiotic ferret screwed it up! They aren't going to fire you over a small accident, are they?" Rohini asked worryingly and Hagrid shrugged.

"Not like I don't deserve it if I am…"

"Don't say that, everybody knows you're the best! Buckbeak was a total sweetheart with us, I'm sure it's all Malfoy's fault!"

"I don't know, Rohini…" Hagrid said, looking down.

"Dumbledore trust you, Hagrid. And you're amazing with creatures. That's why you're a teacher now." Rohini told him before giving him a friendly hug. "Don't worry too much, Hagrid. I'm sure everybody will be there to defend you if we need to."

"Thank yeh." Hagrid said, sniffing loudly. "Yeh should go and eat somethin'. You look a bit pale today."

"'m fine." Rohini lied before her stomach growled embarrassingly. "Ok, maybe I do need food. You're not coming?"

"Nah, I need to go make sure Bucky and the rest aren't traumatised." Hagrid said before thanking her again and taking his leave. Rohini wondered if Harry had heard about it. Sighing, she finally entered the Great Hall. It only took one glance at Harry, Ron and Hermione's face to understand they were, indeed, aware of Malfoy's stupid accident already.

"Hey." Luna said as Rohini sat between her and Padma. "Are you alright?"

"More or less." Rohini said, helping herself to some eggs and chicken. "How about you? How was Potions?"

"Aweful." Luna said, though she didn't seem too troubled by that. "Professor Snape truly is a horrible person. But Herbology was really nice; it's a double class with the Gryffindors. Ginny look better this year."

Rohini glanced at her friend who waved at them from the Gryffindor table. Indeed, Ginny was beaming. Not being brain washed by Voldemort's diary probably helped.

"We have Divination after, right?" Rohini asked Padma who nodded. "You must be happy about it."

"Yeah, can't wait to see what kind of troubles you will get into by reading your palm." Padma teased her.

"Always good to know what your friends think of you." Rohini said, deadpan. Her attention was caught however when she heard two fifth years announcing Sirius Black had been spotted.

"It was in the Daily Prophet this morning—they reckon Sirius Black's been sighted." Lola Tumbledown said.

"Where?" Rohini asked, leaning closer.

"Not too far from here," said Lola, looking both excited and scared. "It was a Muggle who saw him. So of course, she couldn't do anything to stop him, with no magic and all. She called what they call a telephone hot line that the Minister created especially for it. By the time the Ministry of Magic got there, he was gone."

Everybody began to talk vehemently about it, making up hypothesis about how Black could have getting closer and if and how he could try to get inside Hogwarts.

Rohini was listening to Luna's suggestion that Sirius Black had being able to shrink himself until he was ant sized when someone sneered behind them. The girls exchanged an annoyed glance before looking at Malfoy and his gang.

Malfoy's right arm was covered in bandages and bound up in a sling.

"What do you want, Malfoy? A signature on your bandage and a "be well soon" word?" Rohini asked and Pansy Parkinson threw her a murderous glance. It was no secret she had a crush on Malfoy and was as protective as a watch dog.

"At least he didn't swoon when he saw the Dementors." Pansy growled.

"At least I was smart enough not to be attacked by Buckbeak." Rohini said before looking back at Malfoy. "First hiding behind your father, no hiding behind fake tears and your friends. How brave of you, Draco."

Malfoy's expression hardened and Rohini remembered that day back in first year when he had almost attacked her. Would he dare to do so, when a few teachers were still eating?

"I hope Black will find a way inside the castle. Maybe he will deal with you, too, once he's done with your brother." Malfoy said and Rohini clenched her teeth.

"Don't listen to him." Padma whispered. "He isn't worth it."

"Siding with her, Patil?" Pansy sneered. "You've fallen lower than I thou-" The end of her sentence was cut by the pie Rohini had just smashed into her face. The next few second turned into an intense chaos as students began to cheer loudly and shout "fight! Fight!", Malfoy took a step back and let Crabbe and Goyle try to catch Rohini.

Before they could hurt her seriously however, Professor McGonagall was standing right behind them and furiously lecturing them before taking 30 points from both Slytherin and Ravenclaw. She then barked at them to leave and go to their respective classrooms. Rohini apologised to her fellow Ravenclaws for losing points but Zachariah and Lola assured her it had been worth it.

"You can't deny," Padma said as they try to find the way to the Divination classroom, "that you do look for troubles, whether it's conscious or not."

"I know." Rohini sighed. "I don't know why I can't keep my calm, like you or Luna. I pretend I'm smart, but I'm just an idiot, really."

"You're a smart idiot then." Padma said, making her chuckle. "And if you don't want to get into troubles, then says nothing. Silence is the best way to avoid saying or doing anything stupid."

They climbed one last tightly spiralling stair, getting dizzier and dizzier, until at last they heard the murmur of voices above them.

"How do we access the classroom?" Rohini asked.

There were no doors off this landing, only a circular trapdoor with a brass plaque on it on the ceiling.

"'Sibyll Trelawney, Divination teacher,'" Padma read.

The trapdoor suddenly opened, and a silvery ladder descended right at their feet just as the rest of the class arrived.

"I don't like ladders." Padma grumbled before going after Rohini.

Everybody gasped and looked around in surprise for the classroom was quite unusual. It was like a cross between an old lady's attic and an old-fashioned tea shop. There were around twenty small, circular tables crammed inside it, all surrounded by chintz armchairs and fat little poufs.

Everything was lit with a dim, crimson light; the curtains at the windows were all closed, and the many lamps were draped with dark red scarves. It was stiflingly warm, and the fire that was burning under the crowded mantelpiece was giving off a heavy, sickly sort of perfume as it heated a large copper kettle. The shelves running around the circular walls were crammed with dusty-looking feathers, stubs of candles, many packs of tattered playing cards, countless silvery crystal balls, and a huge array of teacups.

"It's sooo cool…" Rohini whispered. The whole place was soothing her somehow. She actually worried that if she sat down, she would instantly fall asleep.

"Let's take a sit." Padma said before jolting as a voice came suddenly out of the shadows, a soft, misty sort of voice.

"Welcome," it said. "How nice to see you in the physical world at last."

Someone moved out of the shadow and into the firelight. Professor Trelawney looked perfect for the role of a divination teacher; she was very thin, her large glasses magnified her eyes to several times their natural size, and she was draped in a gauzy spangled shawl. Innumerable chains and beads hung around her spindly neck, and her arms and hands were encrusted with bangles and rings.

Exchanging an excited glance, Padma and Rohini sat at the closest table and got their book out of their bag.

"Welcome to Divination," said Professor Trelawney, who had seated herself in a winged armchair in front of the fire. "My name is Professor Trelawney. You may not have seen me before. I find that descending too often into the hustle and bustle of the main school clouds my Inner Eye."

' _She's so dramatic_.' Rohini thought as Professor Trelawney delicately rearranged her shawl and continued, "So you have chosen to study Divination, the most difficult of all magical arts. I must warn you at the outset that if you do not have the Sight, there is very little I will be able to teach you. Books can take you only so far in this field…"

"Well I'm screwed then." Rohini mumbled and Padma elbowed her.

"Many witches and wizards, talented though they are in the area of loud bangs and smells and sudden disappearings, are yet unable to penetrate the veiled mysteries of the future," Professor Trelawney went on, her enormous, gleaming eyes moving from face to nervous face. "It is a Gift granted to few. You, boy," she said suddenly to Beka Lowbow, a fat ginger boy who almost toppled off his pouf. "Do you know who you are yet?"

"I… think …?," said Beka, though he seemed a bit dubious.

"Don't worry, the answer will come to you in a few days," said Professor Trelawney, the firelight glinting on her long emerald earrings. Beka seemed to think about it.

Professor Trelawney continued placidly. "We will be covering the basic methods of Divination this year. The first term will be devoted to reading the tea leaves. Next term we shall progress to palmistry. By the way, my dear," she shot suddenly at Rohini, "beware the tree that cries."

Rohini and Padma exchanged a confused glance before looking back at their teacher.

"In the second term," Professor Trelawney went on, "we shall progress to the crystal ball—if we have finished with fire omens, that is. Unfortunately, classes will be disrupted in February by a nasty bout of flu. I myself will lose my voice."

Then, Professor Trelawney took a huge dusty teapot from one of the shelves.

"Now, I want you all to divide into pairs. Collect a teacup from the shelf, come to me, and I will fill it. Then sit down and drink, drink until only the dregs remain. Swill these around the cup three times with the left hand, then turn the cup upside down on its saucer, wait for the last of the tea to drain away, then give your cup to your partner to read. You will interpret the patterns using pages five and six of Unfogging the Future."

"I hope there's toilets nearby if we have to drink so much tea…" Rohini whispered and Padma called her an idiot, though she was smiling too.

"I shall move among you, helping and instructing." Professor Trelawney added while filling their cups. She made a few small predictions while doing so, scaring a few students and annoying most of them.

When Padma and Rohini had had their teacups filled, they went back to their table and tried to drink the scalding tea quickly. Rohini cursed as she burnt her tongue and Padma kindly turned one of the sugar cubes into an ice cube. They swilled the dregs around as Professor Trelawney had instructed, then drained the cups and swapped over.

"So," said Padma, leaning closer as they both opened their books at pages five and six. "What can you see in mine?"

"I'm not sure…" Rohini said, holding back a yawn.

"Broaden your minds, my dears, and allow your eyes to see past the mundane!" Professor Trelawney cried through the gloom.

"I think it's an acorn." Rohini said, glancing at her _Unfogging the Future_ book. "Oh, nice! It means 'windfall, unexpected gold'. There's also an… eye? This signifies 'penetration and the solving of difficulties'; it also shows 'depth of character and love'."

"Really?" Padma asked, beaming. "My turn!" she said excitingly before peering into Rohini's teacup, her forehead wrinkled with effort. "Sooo… outch, this is bad." Padma said, looking suddenly worried. Rohini gulped, waiting to be told her future.

"There's the knots; it means 'anxiety, stress'. Also, bat which is an 'ill omen showing sickness and trouble in the home'."

"Guess I'll be one of the students catching the flu in February". Rohini tried to joke, though she was now nibbling her lips anxiously.

Padma turned the teacup the other way around and smiled.

"Oh, that's a bit more cheerful; it looks like daisies this way. These imply that… you have an 'attractive, child-like nature; a circle of daisies means that you attract someone to you of the same nature as yourself who will become the entire world to you'."

The girls exchanged a look before giggling. They spent the rest of the lesson asking everybody what was waiting for them in the future (it went from getting rich to dying by betrayal) and Padma asked a few questions about Divination to Professor Trelawney who seemed immensely pleased by the attention.

As they let the classroom to head to Charms, the students argued about whether Divination was a "serious" subject or not. Muggleborns explained how Muggles actually tried to practice it and sometimes succeeded at making a correct prediction.

Rohini wondered what to think about Padma's reading. Anxiety and Stress were two things she was extremely familiar with and she had always been prone to catch a cold. She should probably not think too much about it for now.

Professor Flitwick was already inside when they arrived and asked them to pair. Then, he announced that each pair will execute two charms they had learnt since they began studying at Hogwarts.

"It's nothing to worry about, just making sure you memorised it properly." He assured them before waving at Lisa and Beka to go first. They both used the Lumos charm, probably too intimidated to do something more "flamboyant".

Lola scared everybody to death by casting a Bombarda spell and making a table explode. She apologised for the next few minutes until Professor Flitwick convinced her he wasn't mad, only impressed.

When their turn came, Padma turned to Rohini with a twinkle in her eyes before saying " _Tarantallegra_!", the spell forcing Rohini to dance uncontrollably, making the whole class burst in laugh.

" _Colovaria_!" Rohini shouted and Padma's uniform turned an eye watering shade of yellow. Giggling, Professor Flitwick waved his wand and Rohini finally stopped dancing while Padma's uniform turned back to its dull shade of grey.

"That's decided," Rohini said as Padma, Luna, Ginny and she sat in front of the lake after their last afternoon class. "Today was the best studying day of my life."

"I have to admit it was far more interesting than what I would have expected." Padma nodded before turning to the second years. "How about you?"

"Well, Snape is a snivelling little harpy." Ginny said, making them grin. "But Herbology is wonderful. I didn't expect Transfiguration to be so hard this year, though."

"I think you did quite well." Luna said with a smile and Ginny's cheeks turned slightly red. "I think Professor Flitwick is a really good professor. His classes are interesting and he listens when we ask questions."

"The best kind of teacher." Rohini nodded. She then glanced at Hagrid's hut where the curtains were closed even though it was still quite sunny. "I hope Hagrid will not be in too many troubles because of Malfoy…"

"Yeah, we've heard about it." Ginny said, looking grim. "This little git. I'm sure he was crying like a baby when it happened."

"I wish he had loose his tongue instead." Rohini grumbled.

"I think it would have only made him more annoying." Padma said. "And everybody would have treated him like a tragic hero."

"Oh, look." Luna said, pointing at something on her left. "It's your brothers and Hermione!"

Indeed, the Golden Trio was walking towards them and Harry dropped between Rohini and Ginny with a groan.

"Hard day?" Rohini asked.

"Hard day." Harry answered before telling his sister all about is terrible day, from the Grim in his teacup to the accident with Malfoy, the awful Potions class and the fact Professor Lupin didn't let him face the Bogart in the wardrobe.

"It might be my fault." Rohini admitted before telling Harry how the Bogart had turned into their mum's last instant.

"Oh." Harry said, blinking, before looking at Rohini more closely. "Are you ok?"

" 'course I am. It was just… weird. Not looking forward to doing it again." Rohini said, shivering. "But at least, Padma didn't see The Grim in my teacup so really, I'm not complaining too much."

"Oh, shut up." Harry said grumpily. Rohini scoffed and cheekily messed up with his already all over the place hair. They all stayed outside for the next hour, enjoying the few last days of summer. Ginny found the courage to talk to Harry about Quidditch, Hermione and Ron argued about Divination and Luna let Padma and Rohini braid her hair.

All it all, it had been quite an exciting day.


	10. Chapter 10

Rohini had to admit, Third Year was far more difficult but also extremely more exciting than the two previous years. It was mostly due to Professor Lupin's amazing teacher skills that had charmed everybody except Malfoy and his gang. Luna was often spotted talking to him in the corridors, probably asking him questions about rare, potentially false, creatures.

In no time at all, Defense Against the Dark Arts had become most people's favorite class.

His next few lessons were just as interesting as the first. After boggarts, they studied Red Caps, nasty little goblin like creatures that lurked wherever there had been bloodshed: in the dungeons of castles and the potholes of deserted battlefields, waiting to bludgeon those who had gotten lost. Rohini had been delighted, feeling as if she was a character from a fantasy book.

From Red Caps they moved on to kappas, creepy water-dwellers that looked like scaly monkeys, with webbed hands itching to strangle unwitting waders in their ponds.

Divination was surprisingly interesting and soon Rohini decided to keep an open mind about fortune telling and omens, which seemed to annoy Hermione.

"I thought you of all people wouldn't have been fooled by that." She would say and Rohini would shrug it off.

Everybody hated Potions just as vehemently as the previous years though. Snape was in a particularly vindictive mood these days, and no one was in any doubt why. The story of the boggart assuming Snape's shape, and the way that Neville had dressed it in his grandmother's clothes, had travelled through the school like wildfire. Rohini wished she could have seen it.

Sadly, Hagrid seemed to have lost his confidence all thanks to Malfoy being a little prick. They were now spending lesson after lesson learning how to look after flobberworms, which had to be some of the most boring creatures in existence that needed to be fed lettuce. Rohini had tried to talk to her friend about it, promising nobody was warry about studying more interesting creatures but Hagrid didn't listen.

But the most exciting thing for Rohini was something only Padma knew about; once a week, she would go to Professor McGonagall's office and train to become an Animagus. It had taken half a month to convince the strict professor to take her under her wings and a few promises to never use it to sneak out of the castle's grounds.

"I will not lie to you, Ms. Potter." Professor McGonagall told her during one of their secret meetings, mid-October. "Becoming an Animagus at such a young age is likely to fail. It requires a great among of power, magically, physically and mentally speaking."

"I'm determined to succeed, Professor." Rohini had assured her, trying to remain in a meditative state.

"I know." Professor McGonagall said and Rohini wondered if she imagined the smile on her thin lips. "Though I must warn you; usually, it takes three whole years to properly prepare yourself."

"Good thing I'm still young, then." Rohini said, though she secretly hoped it wouldn't take her so much time. It was a bit arrogant of her and so she scolded herself, remembering that she was just a third year.

The weather had degraded, the sunny days all forgotten, replaced by icy rain. The Gryffindors were training three evenings a week and Rohini had decided to go watch them as many times as she could, cheering for them and giving them pastries she had kept with her after each training.

"You don't have to do that, you know." Harry said, though he looked pleased by her presence here. "You would be better inside."

"I know Quidditch is important to you." Rohini said, handing him a croissant. "Let me be the embarrassing sister for once."

"Fine. Embarrass me. Should I pretend to blush and hide, too?" Harry asked and Rohini gently pushed him, the two of them grinning and soaked wet as they went back to the castle.

They lost their smile however as students excitingly announced the first Hogsmeade weekend was getting closer, taking place during Halloween. Harry, on Ron's advice, had tried asking Professor McGonagall if she could sign his permission form which she had obviously refused.

On Halloween morning, Harry and Rohini looked at their friends getting ready to leave. Filch, the caretaker, was standing inside the front doors, checking off names against a long list, peering suspiciously into every face, and making sure that no one was sneaking out who shouldn't be going.

"We'll bring you lots of sweets back from Honeydukes," said Hermione, looking desperately sorry for him.

"Yeah, loads," said Ron.

"You love chocolate, right?" Padma asked.

"Don't worry about us, guys." Rohini said with a forced smile and an arm around Harry's shoulders. "I'm sure we're able to enjoy a day on our own."

"Staying here, Potters?" shouted Malfoy, who was standing in line with Crabbe and Goyle. "Scared of passing the Dementors?"

"Go sit on a stick, Malfoy." Rohini spat at him before turning to Padma. "Have fun and don't worry about us, ok?"

"Ok." Padma sighed and soon the twins were the only ones left.

"Now what?" Harry asked and Rohini thought about it.

"We could go out for a walk? Or go to the library?"

"The library? Really, Rohi?" Harry asked and Rohini oh so elegantly pulled her tongue out at him. She was going to remind him they still had homework to do, Halloween or not, when someone called their names.

It was Professor Lupin, probably heading back to his office.

"What are you doing?" said Lupin. "Where are Ron, Hermione and Padma?"

"Hogsmeade," said Harry, in a would-be casual voice.

"Ah," said Lupin. He considered them for a moment. "Why don't you come in? I've just taken delivery of a grindylow for our next lesson."

"A what?" said Harry.

"A Grindylow." Rohini repeated. "It's a water demon, isn't it?" She asked and Lupin smiled.

"I see someone have been studying some chapters in advance. Follow me."

They followed Lupin through a few corridors before reaching his office. In the corner stood a very large tank of water. A sickly green creature with sharp little horns had its face pressed against the glass, pulling faces and flexing its long, spindly fingers.

"Here comes your next suject," said Lupin, surveying the grindylow thoughtfully. "We shouldn't have much difficulty with him, not after the kappas. The trick is to break his grip. You notice the abnormally long fingers? Strong, but very brittle."

The grindylow bared its green teeth and then buried itself in a tangle of weeds in a corner. Rohini stepped closer, spotting the creatures' eyes staring at her between weeds.

"Cup of tea?" Lupin said, looking around for his kettle. "I was just thinking of making one."

"All right," said Harry awkwardly.

"Thanks!" Rohini said, her attention still focused on the creature. "How did you get it delivered, Professor? Did an owl carry it all the way down to the castle?"

"No, it would have been unwise." Lupin said, tapping the kettle with his wand and a blast of steam issued suddenly from the spout. "Hogwarts have its own specific kind of delivery service."

"Neat." Rohini said, finally walking away from the tank.

"Sit down," said Lupin, taking the lid off a dusty tin. "I've only got teabags, I'm afraid—but I daresay you've had enough of tea leaves, don't you Harry?"

The twins looked at him. Lupin's eyes were twinkling. Rohini couldn't help but grin; after the Snape Bogart accident, she should have noticed that Professor Lupin could be quite mischievous in a discreet manner.

"How did you know about that?" Harry asked.

"Professor McGonagall told me," said Lupin, passing Harry a chipped mug of tea. "You're not worried, are you?"

"No," said Harry.

"Liar." Rohini said and Harry shoot her a nasty glance.

"Anything worrying you, Harry?" Professor Lupin asked, looking serious again.

"No," Harry lied again and Rohini elbowed him. "Yes," he said suddenly, putting his tea down on Lupin's desk. "You know that day we fought the boggart?"

"Yes," said Lupin slowly.

"Why didn't you let me fight it?" said Harry abruptly. Rohini wondered why it was so important to Harry. "Is it because of… because of what happened with Rohini?"

"I suppose it is." Professor Lupin said slowly, a shadow passing on his face. "I also assumed that if the boggart faced you, it would take the shape of Lord Voldemort."

"Oh." Harry said.

"Logical." Rohini admitted. "You were the one Voldemort tried to kill first, after all. Maybe it would have affected you more than me."

"I didn't think it a good idea for Lord Voldemort to materialize in the staffroom. I imagined that people would panic." Professor Lupin continued before taking a sip of his own tea.

"I didn't think of Voldemort," said Harry honestly. "I—I remembered those Dementors."

"Even worse." Rohini said, shuddering as she remembered the horrible creatures.

"I see," said Lupin thoughtfully. "Well, well… I'm impressed." He smiled slightly at the look of surprise on Harry's face. "That suggests that what you fear most of all is—fear. Very wise, Harry."

"See? Told you that you were smart too." Rohini whispered to her brother who seemed happier now.

"So you've been thinking that I didn't believe you capable of fighting the boggart?" said Lupin shrewdly.

"Well… yeah," said Harry.

A sudden knock at the door caught their attention.

"Come in," called Lupin.

The door opened, and in came Snape. He was carrying a goblet, which was smoking faintly, and stopped at the sight of the twins, his black eyes narrowing. Rohini stared back.

"Ah, Severus," said Lupin, smiling. "Thanks very much. Could you leave it here on the desk for me?"

Snape set down the smoking goblet, his eyes wandering between Harry, Rohini and Lupin.

"I was just showing them my grindylow," said Lupin pleasantly, pointing at the tank. "Rohini seemed quite interested."

"Fascinating," said Snape, without looking at it. "You should drink that directly, Lupin."

"Yes, yes, I will," said Lupin.

"I made an entire cauldronful," Snape continued. "If you need more."

Rohini felt uncomfortable, as if it was something she shouldn't be hearing. If Professor Lupin was sick to the point he needed an entire cauldron, then it was probably a private matter.

"I should probably take some again tomorrow. Thanks very much, Severus." Professor Lupin said, still smiling.

"Not at all," said Snape. He backed out of the room, unsmiling and watchful.

The twins looked curiously at the goblet. Lupin smiled.

"Professor Snape has very kindly concocted a potion for me," he said. "I have never been much of a potion-brewer and this one is particularly complex." He picked up the goblet and sniffed it. "Pity sugar makes it useless," he added, taking a sip and shuddering.

"You sure it's not poisoned?" Rohini asked, making Lupin chuckle.

"The taste is dreadful, but it's a great help. I've been feeling a bit off-color," he said. "This potion is the only thing that can help. I am very lucky to be working alongside Professor Snape; there aren't many wizards who are up to making it."

Professor Lupin took another sip and the twins exchanged a nervous glance, ready to see him fall dead at their feet.

"Professor Snape's very interested in the Dark Arts," Harry blurted out.

"Really?" said Lupin, looking only mildly interested as he took another gulp of potion.

"Some people reckon—" Harry hesitated, then plunged recklessly on, "some people reckon he'd do anything to get the Defense Against the Dark Arts job."

"Tho I'm sure he wouldn't go as far as murdering a friendly colleague." Rohini said quickly, giving a "what the heck" look at Harry.

Lupin drained the goblet and pulled a face.

"Disgusting," he said. "Well, Harry, Rohini, I'd better get back to work. I'll see you at the feast later."

"Right," said Harry, putting down his empty teacup.

"Thanks for the tea." Rohini said.

"You're welcome." Lupin said before closing the door behind the twins.

"That was weird." Rohini finally said as they head towards the Great Hall.

"Definitely." Harry agreed.

They spent the rest of the day playing chess and making up predictions about each other for their Divination homework. As interesting as the subject was, Rohini was pretty sure she had not a single ounce of talent in the matter.

They were later joined by Ginny and Luna, both too young to go to Hogsmeade. They were playing chess again each other, Ginny and Harry vs Luna and Rohini, when their friends came back, pink-faced from the cold wind and looking as though they'd had the time of their lives.

They were carrying a lot of candies and chocolates the twins had never tried before and dropped half of them on their laps.

"Here, for you!" Padma announced and Rohini gasped as she picked up a packet of tiny black Pepper Imps.

"Thank you! What's Hogsmeade like? Where did you go?"

By the sound of it—everywhere. Dervish and Banges, the wizarding equipment shop, Zonko's Joke Shop, into the Three Broomsticks for foaming mugs of hot butterbeer, and many places besides.

"The post office, Rohini! About two hundred owls, all sitting on shelves, all color-coded depending on how fast you want your letter to get there!" Hermione said.

"Honeydukes has got a new kind of fudge; they were giving out free samples, there's a bit, look—"

"We think we saw an ogre, honestly, they get all sorts at the Three Broomsticks—"

"Wish we could have brought you some butterbeer, really warms you up—"

"What did you do?" said Hermione, looking anxious. "Did you get any work done?"

"No," said Harry.

"I tried to convince him, but he refused. Rohini sighed. "We only completed our Divination paper."

"Lupin made us a cup of tea in his office. And then Snape came in…"

Harry told them all about the goblet. Ron's mouth fell open.

"Lupin drank it?" he gasped. "Is he mad?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if he isn't here for the feast." Ginny agreed.

"Don't be so grim, Snape would have never murder him with witnesses around." Rohini said but her friends looked dubious.

The Great Hall had been decorated over the afternoon with hundreds and hundreds of candle-filled pumpkins, a cloud of fluttering live bats, and many flaming orange streamers, which were swimming lazily across the stormy ceiling like brilliant watersnakes.

Rohini followed Padma and Luna back to the Ravenclaw table where Padma told them more about Hogsmeade. Rohini felt extremely jealous and hoped Harry and she will be able to go with their friends next year.

She quickly cheered up as the feast began; the food was delicious, especially the pumpkin pies.

Professor Lupin was talking animatedly to tiny little Professor Flitwick, the Charms teacher. Rohini was glad that their fear didn't get confirmed and their professor was alive and well.

The feast finished with an entertainment provided by the Hogwarts ghosts. They popped out of the walls and tables to do a bit of formation gliding; Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor ghost, had a great success with a re-enactment of his own botched beheading. The Ravenclaw ghost didn't show up and Luna explained that it was because of the Slytherin's ghost.

"Did the Dementors pay you a visit, Potter?" Malfoy asked her as he left the Great Hall.

"Did your father finally buy you a brain, Malfoy?" Rohini asked tiredly and Malfoy left without another word.

They were on their way back to the Ravenclaw tower when they heard some of the portraits screaming.

"The Fat Lady! He attacked the Fat Lady!" A monk was saying, hiding behind a group of Victorian ladies. Exchanging a glance with Padma and Luna, Rohini began to ran towards the Gryffindor Tower, the corridor jammed with students as they arrived.

"Someone was screaming about an attack." She said to Harry as Luna spotted him. "What happened?"

They heard Percy say, in a suddenly sharp voice, "Somebody get Professor Dumbledore. Quick."

"What's going on?" said Ginny, who had just arrived.

"Someone attacked the Fat Lady." Padma told her and they all stared at each other warily as a moment later, Professor Dumbledore was there, sweeping toward the portrait; the students squeezed together to let him through, and the twins and their friends moved closer to see what the trouble was.

"Oh, my—" Hermione grabbed Rohini's arm.

The Fat Lady had vanished from her portrait, which had been slashed so viciously that strips of canvas littered the floor; great chunks of it had been torn away completely. Padma took her sister Parvati in her arms, looking paler.

Dumbledore took one quick look at the ruined painting and turned, his eyes somber, to see Professors McGonagall, Lupin, and Snape hurrying toward him.

"We need to find her," said Dumbledore. "Professor McGonagall, please go to Mr. Filch at once and tell him to search every painting in the castle for the Fat Lady."

"You'll be lucky!" said a cackling voice.

It was Peeves the Poltergeist, bobbing over the crowd and looking delighted, as he always did, at the sight of wreckage or worry.

"What do you mean, Peeves?" said Dumbledore calmly, and Peeves's grin faded a little. He didn't dare taunt Dumbledore. Instead he adopted an oily voice that was no better than his cackle.

"Ashamed, Your Headship, sir. Doesn't want to be seen. She's a horrible mess. Saw her running through the landscape up on the fourth floor, sir, dodging between the trees. Crying something dreadful," he said happily. "Poor thing," he added unconvincingly.

"Did she say who did it?" said Dumbledore quietly.

"Oh yes, Professorhead," said Peeves, with the air of one cradling a large bombshell in his arms. "He got very angry when she wouldn't let him in, you see." Peeves flipped over and grinned at Dumbledore from between his own legs. "Nasty temper he's got, that Sirius Black."

Silence followed. Then, everybody began to speak all at once, exchanging worried glances and holding each other's hands.

Rohini gulped, suddenly feeling deadly cold. Sirius Black, in the castle? How?

"SILENCE!" Dumbledore said, his voice amplified by a charm as he held his wand against his throat. "Professor McGonagall; please make sure that every students are escorted to the Great Hall. All of them."

"Mr. Weasley." She called, waving at Percy. "Please lead the way. If I catch any Gryffindor sneaking away, I will immediately send them back to their home." She said.

"Gryffindors, follow me." Percy said, looking less assured than usual. He grabbed Ginny by the shoulder and leaded the way with her. Ginny was probably too shocked to react for she didn't try to bulge away from his grip.

Rohini grabbed Harry's hand and her brother glanced at her but didn't try to walk away either. She could hear the Patil twins speaking in hushed voices with Lavender Brown right behind them.

They were the first to arrive to the Great Hall and were joined ten minutes later by the students from Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin, who all looked extremely confused.

"The teachers and I need to conduct a thorough search of the castle," Professor Dumbledore told them as Professors McGonagall and Flitwick closed all doors into the hall. "I'm afraid that, for your own safety, you will have to spend the night here. I want the prefects to stand guard over the entrances to the hall and I am leaving the Head Boy and Girl in charge. Any disturbance should be reported to me immediately," he added to Percy, who only nodded. "Send word with one of the ghosts."

Professor Dumbledore paused, about to leave the hall, and said, "Oh, yes, you'll be needing…"

One casual wave of his wand and the long tables flew to the edges of the hall and stood themselves against the walls; another wave, and the floor was covered with hundreds of squashy purple sleeping bags.

"Sleep well," said Professor Dumbledore, closing the door behind him.

"Sleep well?" Rohini said, her voice slightly higher than usual. "How are we supposed to sleep well in those conditions?!"

The hall was buzzing excitedly; the Gryffindors were telling the rest of the school what had just happened.

Seeing everybody together like that, Rohini noticed for the first time how everybody seemed to have friends from every houses; Hufflepuffs were being hugged by Slytherins, Slytherins were asking Gryffindors to repeat themselves, Gryffindors and Ravenclaws were making plans if Black came inside the Great Hall…

"Everyone into their sleeping bags!" shouted Percy. "Come on, now, no more talking! Lights out in ten minutes!"

They all seized a sleeping bag and dragged them into a corner. Rohini was now lying between Padma and Ginny, herself lying next to Luna.

"Do you think Black's still in the castle?" Hermione whispered anxiously.

"Dumbledore obviously thinks he might be," said Ron.

"I can't believe he attacked the Fat Lady." Ginny said with a shudder. "I mean, the man is mad but why attacking a portrait?"

"She probably refused to let him in." Harry said grimly.

"Can you imagine if he had been waiting for us all to come back, sitting in the shadows of the Common Room?" Parvati said, her head resting on Padma's shoulder. "What if… what if he had killed someone?"

Rohini shoot a glance at Harry. They both knew who would have been targeted first.

"It's very lucky he picked tonight, you know," said Hermione as they climbed fully dressed into their sleeping bags. "The one night we weren't in the tower…"

"I reckon he's lost track of time, being on the run," said Ron. "Didn't realize it was Halloween. Otherwise he'd have come bursting in here."

Hermione shuddered.

All around them, people were asking one another the same question: "How did he get in?"

"Maybe he knows how to Apparate," said Zachariah a few feet away. "Just appear out of thin air, you know."

"Disguised himself, probably," said Amy Fletcher, the Hufflepuff prefect.

"He could've flown in," suggested Dean Thomas.

"Impossible." Rohini and Hermione answered tiredly.

"The castle's protected by all sorts of enchantments on it." Luna explained calmly. "You can't Apparate in here."

"And I'd like to see the disguise that could fool those Dementors. They're guarding every single entrance to the grounds." Ginny added.

"They'd have seen him fly in too. And Filch knows all the secret passages, they'll have them covered…"

"Not all passages." They heard the Weasley twins said somewhere on their left.

"The lights are going out now!" Percy shouted. "I want everyone in their sleeping bags and no more talking!"

The candles all went out at once. The only light now came from the silvery ghosts, who were drifting about talking seriously to the prefects, and the enchanted ceiling, which, like the sky outside, was scattered with stars. Rohini stared at them, unable to fall asleep.

"I hope Thranduil is ok." She whispered and jumped as Padma took her hand.

"I'm sure he's alright, Rohi." She said sleepily. "Now, you should try to sleep. I'm sure we're safe for now." Padma said before falling asleep.

Rohini looked turned her face and realised that Harry was still awake too. She gave him a tired smile and they listened in silence as once every hour, a teacher would reappear in the hall to check that everything was quiet.

Around three in the morning, Professor Dumbledore came in, looking around for Percy, who had been prowling between the sleeping bags, telling people off for talking. Percy was only a short way away from them so the twins were able to listen to their conversation, even if it was harder for Rohini who missed a few words.

"Any sign of him, Professor?" asked Percy in a whisper.

"No. All well here?"

"Everything under control, sir."

"Good. There's no point moving them all now. I've found a temporary guardian for the Gryffindor portrait hole. You'll be able to move them back in tomorrow."

"And the Fat Lady, sir?"

"Hiding in a map of Argyllshire on the second floor. Apparently she refused to let Black in without the password, so he attacked. She's still very distressed, but once she's calmed down, I'll have Mr. Filch restore her."

The door of the hall creak open again, and more footsteps followed.

"Headmaster?" It was Snape. "The whole of the third floor has been searched. He's not there. And Filch has done the dungeons; nothing there either."

"What about the Astronomy tower? Professor Trelawney's room? The Owlery?"

"All searched…"

"Very well, Severus. I didn't really expect Black to linger."

"Have you any theory as to how he got in, Professor?" asked Snape. Rohini didn't like the way the Potions Master sounded.

"Many, Severus, each of them as unlikely as the next."

"You remember the conversation we had, Headmaster, just before—ah—the start of term?" said Snape, who was barely opening his lips, as though trying to block Percy out of the conversation.

"I do, Severus," said Dumbledore, and there was something like warning in his voice.

"It seems—almost impossible—that Black could have entered the school without inside help. I did express my concerns when you appointed—"

"I do not believe a single person inside this castle would have helped Black enter it," said Dumbledore, and his tone made it so clear that the subject was closed that Snape didn't reply. "I must go down to the Dementors," said Dumbledore. "I said I would inform them when our search was complete."

"Didn't they want to help, sir?" said Percy.

"Oh yes," said Dumbledore coldly. "But I'm afraid no Dementor will cross the threshold of this castle while I am headmaster."

Dumbledore left the hall, walking quickly and quietly. Snape stood for a moment, watching the headmaster with an expression of deep resentment on his face; then he too left. Rohini glanced at Harry; there was definitely something fishy going on.

"What was all that about?" they heard Ron whisper. Rohini look at the enchanted ceiling. What was going on here, indeed?


	11. Chapter 11

The school talked of nothing but Sirius Black for the next few days. The theories about how he had entered the castle became wilder and wilder; Hannah Abbott, from Hufflepuff, told anyone who'd listen that Black could turn into a flowering shrub.

"Maybe Hannah isn't that far from reality." Rohini said to Padma during a Divination class. "I mean, what if Black could turn into something else? Not a plant of course, but an animal?"

"Impossible." Padma said. "Remember what McGonagall said; Animagi are all put on a register by the Minister. If Black was an Animagus, we would know it."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Rohini sighed.

The Fat Lady's ripped canvas had been taken off the wall and replaced with the portrait of an odd knight and his fat gray pony who spent half his time challenging people to duels, and the rest thinking up ridiculously complicated passwords, which he changed at least twice a day.

Something even more annoying than the portrait was that the twins were now being followed by teachers and prefects. Rohini even caught Nearly Headless Nick keeping an eye on Harry and she on their way to Charms once.

To cap it all, Professor McGonagall summoned them into her office, with such a somber expression on her face the twins thought someone must have died.

"There's no point hiding it from you any longer, Potters," she said in a very serious voice. "I know this will come as a shock to you, but Sirius Black—"

"Is after Harry, we know." Rohini said. "I guessed it when we met the Minister, back in London."

Professor McGonagall seemed very taken aback. "I see! Well, in that case, Potter, you'll understand why I don't think it's a good idea for you to be practicing Quidditch in the evenings. Out on the field with only your team members, it's very exposed, Potter—"

"We've got our first match on Saturday!" said Harry, outraged. "I've got to train, Professor!"

"And I'm always with them when they practice late." Rohini said, siding with her brother. "Please Professor; Quidditch is really important for everyone."

Professor McGonagall considered them intently.

"Hmm…" Professor McGonagall stood up and stared out of the window at the Quidditch field, just visible through the rain. "Well… goodness knows, I'd like to see us win the Cup at last… but all the same, Potters… I'd be happier if a teacher were present. Not that I doubt your sister's abilities to protect you, but I'll ask Madam Hooch to oversee your training sessions."

Rohini saw Harry sighing with relief and she was going to follow him outside when McGonagall asked her to wait.

"Potter," She said and Rohini feared she was going to stop her personal training, "I think it should be wiser to meet twice in a week from now on."

"Alright." Rohini said before taking her leave.

"Potter?" McGonagall called again. "Keep an eye on your brother."

"Always." Rohini said before closing the door behind her.

The day before the match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, the winds reached howling point and the rain fell harder than ever. It was so dark inside the corridors and classrooms that extra torches and lanterns were lit. Harry's mood was low and even Rohini could do nothing to cheer him up.

They were heading to their common DADA class when Oliver Wood stopped Harry to give him some tips for the next day.

"Harry, we're already late!" Rohini groaned, pulling on Harry's sleeve. "Oliver, Harry knows how to do his job, thank you for your concern."

The twins set out to run and skidded to a halt outside the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, pulled the door open, and dashed inside.

"Sorry we're late, Professor Lupin, we—"

But it wasn't Professor Lupin who looked up at him from the teacher's desk; it was Snape.

"This lesson began ten minutes ago, Potters, so I think we'll make it ten points from each house. Sit down."

"Where's Professor Lupin?" Harry said.

"He says he is feeling too ill to teach today," said Snape with a twisted smile. "I believe I told you to sit down?"

The twins obeyed reluctantly.

"Bet ya Snape poisoned him for good this time." Rohini whispered to Padma as she took place by her side.

Snape looked around at the class.

"As I was saying before Potters interrupted, Professor Lupin has not left any record of the topics you have covered so far—"

"Please, sir, we've done boggarts, Red Caps, kappas, and grindylows," said Hermione quickly, "and we're just about to start—"

"Be quiet," said Snape coldly. "I did not ask for information"

"Well sorry you needed to be enlightened by your students, professor." Rohini said boldly. "You seemed a bit lost without Hermione's intervention."

"Ten more points for RavencIaw. Professor Lupin clearly didn't take the time to teach you respect either. I was merely commenting on Professor Lupin's lack of organization."

"He's the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher we've ever had," said Dean Thomas, and there was a murmur of agreement from the rest of the class. Snape looked more menacing than ever.

"You are easily satisfied. Lupin is hardly overtaxing you—I would expect first years to be able to deal with Red Caps and grindylows. Today we shall discuss—"

They watched him flick through the textbook, to the very back chapter, which he must know they hadn't covered.

"—werewolves," said Snape.

"But, sir," said Hermione, seemingly unable to restrain herself, "we're not supposed to do werewolves yet, we're due to start hinkypunks—"

"Miss Granger," said Snape in a voice of deadly calm, "I was under the impression that I am teaching this lesson, not you. And I am telling you all to turn to page 394." He glanced around again. "All of you! Now!"

With many bitter sidelong looks and some sullen muttering, the class opened their books.

"Which of you can tell me how we distinguish between the werewolf and the true wolf?" said Snape.

Both Hermione and Rohini raised their hands.

"Anyone?" Snape said, ignoring them. His twisted smile was back. "Are you telling me that Professor Lupin hasn't even taught you the basic distinction between—"

"We told you," said Parvati suddenly, "we haven't got as far as werewolves yet, we're still on—"

"Silence!" snarled Snape. "Well, well, well, I never thought I'd meet a third-year class who wouldn't even recognize a werewolf when they saw one. I shall make a point of informing Professor Dumbledore how very behind you all are…"

"Oh, for fuck sake!" Rohini suddenly yelled, slamming her hands on the desk. "What's the point of coming today if you're only going to be mean to everyone? And if you don't want me or Hermione to answer your stupid questions, then don't ask them in the first place!"

A deadly silence followed Rohini's outburst. Snape's lips were pinched so tightly they were barely visible anymore and he was definitely boiling inside.

"Out." He said, his voice barely higher than a whisper. Rohini said nothing, putting her book back inside her bag before taking her leave, making sure to slam the door behind her. She knew she was going to regret standing up against Snape later, but he was just pushing everyone to their breaking point. Heck, she wasn't even one to drop the "F-bomb"!

She waited outside the classroom, sitting on the marble floor and reading the part about werewolves. Then the class finally stepped out, everybody angrily talking about Snape. Harry and Hermione came out and told her Ron was being given detention.

"Snape's never been like this with any of our other Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers, even if he did want the job," Harry told them. "Why's he got it in for Lupin? D'you think this is all because of the boggart?"

"I don't know," said Hermione pensively. "But I really hope Professor Lupin gets better soon…"

"I also hope Snape will choke on one of his own potions." Rohini said before turning to Padma who tried to calm her down a little.

The rest of the day was spent in quite a grim atmosphere, everybody thinking about how many points their houses had lost in just one hour. The evening wasn't any better and Rohini didn't even find the motivation to write her anger down in her diary.

They all awaked to the sounds of thunder rumbling overhead, the pounding of the wind against the castle walls, and the distant creaking of the trees in the Forbidden Forest. During breakfast Rohini couldn't help but glance at Harry who looked in quite a poor shape.

She was worried he would fall off his broomstick considering the strong wind and how skinny he was but she decided to keep quiet about it, not wanting to annoy him more.

"He will be fine." Padma whispered to her and Rohini nodded, though she wasn't so sure of it. Weather aside, Harry had pointed at her the Hufflepuff seeker and though stronger looking than Harry, she had the feeling he was good at his job. Plus, he had no risk of being blown away by the storm…

After breakfast, Rohini wished good luck to Harry before following her friends outside where they ran down the lawns toward the Quidditch field, heads bowed against the ferocious wind, umbrellas being whipped out of their hands as they went.

The wind was so strong Rohini and Padma had to hold each other to avoid falling from the bench they were standing on. Rohini had to cast a spell on her glasses to repel the rain.

The Hufflepuffs were approaching from the opposite side of the field, wearing canary-yellow robes. The Captains walked up to each other and shook hands. Madam Hooch put her whistle to her lips and gave it a blast that sounded shrill and distant—they were off.

Rohini resisted the urge to look away as Harry rose fast, his Nimbus swerving slightly with the wind.

"He's gonna get blown away." She said and Luna gently pet her back.

Within five minutes everybody was soaked to their skin and frozen and a few less enthusiastic students were wondering why the match wasn't being cancelled.

They couldn't hear the commentary over the wind, no matter how loud Lee Jordan tried to spoke. The crowd was hidden beneath a sea of cloaks and battered umbrellas. Twice Harry came very close to being unseated by a Bludger and Rohini hid behind her gloves, grunting.

The sky was getting darker, as though night had decided to come early. Players were accidentally hitting one another, without knowing whether it was a teammate or opponent.

With the first flash of lightning came the sound of Madam Hooch's whistle; the two teams splashed down into the mud and huddled at the edge of the field under a large umbrella.

"I think Harry is having trouble with his glasses." Rohini said before announcing she will be back. She ran down the stairs and towards the Gryffindor team that looked quite pitiful. Hermione must have gotten the same idea as her for they both reached Harry at the same time.

" _Impervius!"_ They both said, pointing at Harry's glasses with their wand. The spell was so efficient even his hair got suddenly dry.

Wood looked as though he could have kissed them.

"Brilliant!" he called hoarsely after her as she disappeared into the crowd. "Okay, team, let's go for it!"

"Good luck." Rohini said, kissing Harry's cheek before watching him urge his broom through the turbulent air.

There was another clap of thunder, followed immediately by forked lightning. This was getting more and more dangerous.

"They shouldn't be playing." Rohini said. "What if one of them get hit? Do they want them to die?"

"They will be alright." Hermione said, though she didn't sounded convinced.

There was another flash of lightning illuminated the stands and Rohini felt the back of her neck getting covered with goosebumps. Something was wrong, she could feel it…

"Oh no, look!" Hermione suddenly said, pointing at something in the sky, next to Harry. Rohini narrowed her eyes, trying to see what was wrong- and froze.

An eerie silence was falling across the stadium as everybody stared in a fearful state as a hundred Dementors, their hidden faces pointing up at Harry, began to surround him. Rohini shouted her brother's name, her heart beating painfully in her chest.

"Harry!" She shouted, hearing a faint scream in the back of her mind as she ran towards the centre of the field, standing right under Harry. "HARRY!"

Harry was falling now, slipping off his broomstick.

"No!" Rohini shouted. " _ARRESTO MOMENTUM_!" She then screamed desperately, pointing at Harry, barely noticing people were now standing by her side and someone was pulling her away. "Harry! Harry!" She screamed, her brother's unconscious body finally reaching the ground in a splash of mud.

Professor McGonagall, she was the one taking her away from the field, told her to calm down and follow them to the Hospital Wing. The last thing Rohini noticed was a giant white light shield flying towards the Dementors, pushing them away. Then, she let Professor McGonagall guide her towards the castle, her only thoughts going to Harry.

"Lucky the ground was so soft." Fred said.

"I thought he was dead for sure." George agreed.

"But he didn't even break his glasses." Angelina pointed out.

Rohini blinked. She hadn't realised the Gryffindor team had followed them inside the Hospital Wing. Padma was there, too, a friendly arm around Rohini's shoulders.

"That was the scariest thing I've ever seen in my life." Rohini said in a hollow tone.

Harry's eyes snapped open. Rohini made a strangle noise and the next second, she was hugging Harry as if her life depended on it.

"Harry!" said Fred, who looked extremely white underneath the mud. "How're you feeling?"

"What happened?" Harry said and Rohini sat back on the bed to let him breath.

"You fell off," Rohini said, looking grim. "the Dementors, they- I thought you-"

"We thought you'd died," said Alicia, who was shaking. Rohini made another strangled noise and Padma hugged her tightly.

"But the match," said Harry. "What happened? Are we doing a replay?"

"Curse the match!" Rohini said. "Can't you care about your own life for once?"

"Rohini…" Padma whispered and Rohini looked down.

"We didn't—lose?"

"Diggory got the Snitch," said George. "Just after you fell. He didn't realize what had happened. When he looked back and saw you on the ground, he tried to call it off. Wanted a rematch. But they won fair and square… even Wood admits it."

"Where is Wood?" said Harry, suddenly realizing he wasn't there.

"Still in the showers," said Fred. "We think he's trying to drown himself."

"Drama queen." Rohini mumbled.

Harry put his face to his knees, his hands gripping his hair. Rohini wanted to both shake him like a ragged doll to tell him that at least he was alive and to hug him tightly to calm him down.

"C'mon, Harry, you've never missed the Snitch before." Fred said, shaking his shoulder.

"There had to be one time you didn't get it," said George.

"It's not over yet," said Fred. "We lost by a hundred points, right? So if Hufflepuff loses to Ravenclaw and we beat Ravenclaw and Slytherin…"

"Hufflepuff'll have to lose by at least two hundred points," said George.

"But if they beat Ravenclaw…"

"Can we stop talking about Quidditch for a while?" Rohini said, looking at each team members. "Not to be annoying, but Harry could have died. _Died_. So I don't want Quidditch to be mentioned a single time again until he is out of room."

They all nodded, standing awkwardly without saying a word. After ten minutes or so, Madam Pomfrey came over to tell the team to leave him in peace. Padma told Rohini she will wait outside for her and Rohini nodded, thanking her for her support.

"We'll come and see you later," Fred told Harry. "Don't beat yourself up, Harry, you're still the best Seeker we've ever had."

The team trooped out, trailing mud behind them. Madam Pomfrey shut the door behind them, looking disapproving. Ron and Hermione moved nearer to Harry's bed and Rohini sat back on it.

"Dumbledore was really angry," Hermione said in a quaking voice. "I've never seen him like that before. After Rohini slowed down your fall, he whirled his wand at the Dementors. Shot silver stuff at them. They left the stadium right away… He was furious they'd come onto the grounds. We heard him—"

"Then he magicked you onto a stretcher," said Ron. "And walked up to school with you floating on it. Everyone thought you were…" Hermione elbowed him to shut him up.

"I heard the screaming again." Harry said, looking at Rohini. "I heard… I heard her. Mum."

"I know." Rohini said, her eyes shining as she tried to hold back her tears. "I could hear her faintly, too."

"Did someone get my Nimbus?" Harry then asked his friends.

Ron and Hermione looked quickly at each other.

"Er—"

"What?" said Harry, looking from one to the other.

"Well… when you fell off, it got blown away," said Hermione hesitantly.

"And?"

"And it hit—it hit—oh, Harry—it hit the Whomping Willow."

"And?" he said, dreading the answer. Rohini bit her lips, looking away.

"Well, you know the Whomping Willow," she said. "It—it's a very violent tree."

"Professor Flitwick brought it back just before you came around," said Hermione in a very small voice.

Slowly, she reached down for a bag at her feet, turned it upside down, and tipped a dozen bits of splintered wood and twig onto the bed, the only remains of Harry's faithful, finally beaten broomstick.

This time, Rohini was the one chasing her friends out of the room, letting Harry recover from this hard blow.

Madam Pomfrey insisted on keeping Harry in the hospital wing for the rest of the weekend. He wouldn't let her throw away the shattered remnants of his Nimbus Two Thousand. He had a stream of visitors, all intent on cheering him up. Hagrid sent him a bunch of earwiggy flowers that looked like yellow cabbages, and Ginny Weasley, blushing furiously and followed by Luna, turned up with a get-well card she had made herself, which sang shrilly unless Harry kept it shut under his bowl of fruit.

The Gryffindor team and Rohini visited again on Sunday morning, this time accompanied by Wood, who told Harry (in a hollow, dead sort of voice) that he didn't blame him in the slightest.

When left alone, the twins talked about the screams they heard when the Dementors were around. And for the first time, they both opened up about their feelings, about how scared and helpless they had felt over the past two years. How they had been angry, too. They had bottled up things for so long, they had been left exhausted once they were done.

"You know," Harry said as Madam Pomfrey finally let him off the Hospital Wing, "I was impressed, when you dared to stand up against Snape."

"Really?" Rohini said, "I think it's more impressive that you were able to keep your calm. It's easier to lose control of your feelings than to be in charge of your own heart."

"Being all wise again." Harry teased her, smiling for the first time in two days.

"I suppose I am." Rohini said, smiling back as the two of them head towards the Great Hall for dinner.


	12. Chapter 12

**Before beginning this chapter, I would like to thank Pokelover619 for their kind review. It was the best thing to wake up to. I've been unsure about Rohini's character for a while now and knowing your opinion truly gave me back some confidence. I hope you will like the rest of the story, and thank you once more.**

 **-Truc**

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' _Dear me,_

 _I haven't written to myself in a while. I was both too tired and busy for that. Things had been weird, lately._

 _First, Black found a way inside the castle but nobody knows how he did it. I've suggested he might have been an Animagus but he isn't on the register. If Black knows some kind of secret passageway to get in without being seen by the Dementors, then Hogwarts isn't as safe as everybody seem to think it is._

 _Speaking of Dementors, those terrible creatures attacked Harry during his first Quidditch match. It was the worst; I thought he wasn't going to make it when I saw him fall of his broom. His Nimbus 2000 was destroyed by the Weeping Willow, too… I want to buy him a new broomstick for Christmas, but gosh broomsticks are so expensive! Sorry Harry…_

 _We had a double potions class with the Slytherins today. Snape has obviously not forgotten my outburst from Friday and was creepier than ever, standing right behind Padma and I, so close I could feel his breath. It was disgusting._

 _My personal training with Professor McGonagall is going well; she asked Professor Flitwick to join us today and he agreed to teach me one or two spells that aren't programmed for this year. I'm still hiding it from Harry because I want him to be surprised the day I change in front of him for the first time._

 _I_ -'

"Thranduil!" Rohini suddenly hissed as her cat attacked her pen. "I'm using it, you idiotic peanut!"

A girl groaned and turned in her sleep and Rohini realised it was probably quite late. Sighing, she closed her diary and put it back under her pillow before playing with Thranduil for a short minute until her cat grew tired and jumped of her bed to go sleep with Padma.

"Traitor." Rohini whispered and Thranduil blinked lazily at her before yawning.

Taking a look outside, Rohini realised it wasn't the full moon anymore. Too bad; she thought there was something reassuring about the huge silver orb.

As she slowly fell asleep, Rohini pretended she was holding her wand and waved her wrist while whispering the spells she had learnt today.

Xxx

The next few days went quickly; during Divination, Padma predicted that Rohini was going to meet her downfall, which wasn't far from the truth as when she got down the ladder to exit the classroom, Rohini tripped and fell down with a yell.

"Please Padma, stop predicting my future. It's always terrifyingly accurate when you do." Rohini said, rubbing her painful butt as Padma looked both sorry and amused.

On Wednesday, they had their first DADA lesson since the accident with Snape. Professor Lupin was back at work and welcomed back by loud cheers and furious applauses.

It certainly looked as though he had been ill. His old robes were hanging more loosely on him and there were dark shadows beneath his eyes; nevertheless, he smiled at the class as they took their seats, and they burst at once into an explosion of complaints about Snape's behaviour.

"He is the worst DADA teacher ever-"

"Didn't follow the program-"

"Refused to listen to us-

"Rohini called him out and lose many points-"

Professor Lupin smiled at the look of indignation on every face.

"Don't worry. I have spoken to Professor Snape yesterday. You don't have to hand back the essay." He assured them.

Looking pleased, they torn off their two parchment rolls and a few students even made sure to burn them. That was Ravenclaws for you; serious enough to make their homework, petty enough to destroy them properly.

They had a very enjoyable lesson. Professor Lupin had brought along a glass box containing a hinkypunk, a little one-legged creature who looked as though he were made of wisps of smoke, rather frail and harmless-looking.

"Lures travelers into bogs," said Professor Lupin as they took notes. "You notice the lantern dangling from his hand? Hops ahead—people follow the light—then—"

The hinkypunk made a horrible squelching noise against the glass.

When the bell rang, everyone gathered up their things and headed for the door. Rohini and Padma were talking about the Astronomy paper they had to finish during lunch when Professor Lupin called her.

"Rohini?," Lupin called. "I'd like a word."

"I'll wait for you outside." Padma said before closing the door behind her.

Rohini doubled back and watched Professor Lupin covering the hinkypunk's box with a cloth.

"Did I do something wrong, professor?" Rohini asked. "Is it about Snape? Because I'm not going to apologise."

"No, it's not about Professor Snape." Lupin assured her. "I had a word with Professor McGonagall. She told me about your desire to become an Animagus."

"Oh." Rohini said, blushing. She always feared teachers would find her a bit pretentious for wanting to become an Animagus at only 13.

"She asked me if I could help with your training." Lupin said. "She thinks that with everything currently happening, you might need to learn how to defend yourself. And as your DADA teacher, she thinks I'm the most suitable person for that."

"And… did you say yes?" Rohini asked.

"Well," Lupin said, and he was now smiling, "since I've promised Harry to teach him how to defend himself from Dementors a few days ago, it would have been unfair of me to refuse her request."

"Harry asked for your help?" Rohini said, surprised. "He didn't tell me."

"Even siblings need to keep a few things secrets, don't you think?" Lupin asked and Rohini nodded.

"Actually, my "special training" to become an Animagus is supposed to be a secret, too." Rohini said. "So…"

"I will not talk about it to Harry, I promise." Lupin said. "But our lessons will have to wait until next term, I'm afraid. I have a lot to do before the holidays. I chose a very inconvenient time to fall ill."

"Thank you, Professor." Rohini answered and it's with a huge grin on her face that she headed outside with Padma who admitted feeling a bit envious about Rohini being tutored by so many awesome teachers.

"I could teach you what I learnt!" Rohini said as they dealt with a particularly nasty Chizpurfle who pinched Rohini's thumb. "Outch!"

"Let's make a deal," Padma said, hiding her smile behind her sleeve. "I ask dad to send you some of his special pastries, and you teach me what you learn in exchange."

"Sounds like a plan." Rohini said, trying to catch the tiny creature running on her leg while Hagrid walked past them, a worried expression on his face.

XXXX

December arrived fast and two weeks before the end of the term, the sky lightened suddenly to a dazzling, bright white and the muddy grounds were revealed one morning covered in glittering frost.

It was such a pleasant surprise that Rohini was the first one out of bed for once, gushing about how it will probably begin to snow soon.

Inside the castle, there was a buzz of Christmas in the air. Professor Flitwick, the Charms teacher, had already decorated his classroom with shimmering lights that turned out to be real, fluttering fairies.

He was also trying to recruit students to join the Frog Choir. Sadly for him, the Ravenclaws loved to sing… when they were showering. Most of them had terrible voices and so the head of their house quickly gave up.

The students were all happily discussing their plans for the holidays. Except from Ron and Hermione, everybody was going back to their families for the holidays. Padma had asked Rohini if she wanted her to stay for once but Rohini assured her she will be fine.

Luna, who should have stay at Hogwarts with Rohini, announced with an pleased smile that her dad had organised a surprise trip to Scotland to go study some Muggle folklore that he suspected was inspired by magical creatures.

"Sounds like a lot of fun. Don't forget to send me a postcard when you'll arrive." Rohini said and Luna promised to do so.

To everyone's delight except the twins', there was to be another Hogsmeade trip on the very last weekend of the term.

"We can do all our Christmas shopping there!" said Hermione. "Mum and Dad would really love those Toothflossing Stringmints from Honeydukes!"

"They are dentists, aren't they?" Rohini asked. "They could sell them to their customers, pretending it's a new revolutionary invention…"

"Do you want me to bring you back anything?" Padma asked and Rohini politely declined.

"Just come back with a smile." Rohini said and Padma huffed, calling her a silly girl.

On the Saturday morning of the Hogsmeade trip, the twins said goodbye to their friends, who were wrapped in cloaks and scarves. Left alone, the twins looked at each other.

"Well, it's just the two of us again." Rohini said. "Anywhere you want to go?"

"Hogsmeade, but it's unavailable for now." Harry sighed. "Maybe we could go pay a visit to Hagrid?"

"I think he said he was quite busy with personal matter… what about getting randomly lost in the castle?"

But before Harry could answer, they heard someone calling their names.

"Psst—Harry, Rohini!"

They turned to see Fred and George peering out at them from behind the stairs, waving at them to come closer.

"I hope for you it's not about Quidditch." Rohini said and the Weasley twins grinned.

"Of course not."

"Us? Taunting Harry about our defeat? Never."

"What are you doing here?" said Harry curiously. "How come you're not going to Hogsmeade?"

"We've come to give you a bit of festive cheer before we go," said Fred, with a mysterious wink. "Come in here…"

He nodded toward an empty classroom on their right. Curious, Rohini went after him, Harry and George following them inside. George closed the door quietly and then turned, beaming, to look at them.

"Early Christmas present for you two." he said.

Fred pulled something from inside his cloak with a flourish and laid it on one of the desks. It was a large, square, very worn piece of parchment with nothing written on it. Tilting her head, Rohini walked closer while pinching her lips with her fingers.

"What's that supposed to be?" Harry asked.

" _Aparecium_." Rohini said, but nothing happened. "It's not working. Is it one of your joke?"

"This, Rohini, is the secret of our success," said George, patting the parchment fondly.

"It's a wrench, giving it to you," said Fred, "but we decided last night, your need's greater than ours."

"Anyway, we know it by heart," said George. "We bequeath it to you. We don't really need it anymore."

"I have the feeling something slightly illegal is involved…" Rohini said, though she felt quite intrigued.

"Explain, George." Fred said to his twin.

"Well… when we were in our first year —young, carefree, and innocent—"

The Potter twins snorted. Fred and George had ever been innocent, they were sure of it.

"—well, more innocent than we are now—we got into a spot of bother with Filch."

"We let off a Dungbomb in the corridor and it upset him for some reason—"

"So he hauled us off to his office and started threatening us with the usual—"

"—detention—"

"—disembowelment—"

"—and we couldn't help noticing a drawer in one of his filing cabinets marked Confiscated and Highly Dangerous."

"Don't tell me—" said Harry, starting to grin.

"You stole it from Filch?" Rohini said, impressed. "And you were only 11?"

"Well, what would you've done?" said Fred. "George caused a diversion by dropping another Dungbomb, I whipped the drawer open, and grabbed—this."

"It's not as bad as it sounds, you know," said George. "We don't reckon Filch ever found out how to work it. He probably suspected what it was, though, or he wouldn't have confiscated it."

"And you know how to work it?" Rohini asked, glancing back at the parchment.

"Oh yes," said Fred, smirking. "This little beauty's taught us more than all the teachers in this school."

"You're winding me up," said Harry, looking at the ragged old bit of parchment.

"Oh, are we?" said George.

He took out his wand, touched the parchment lightly, and said, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

And at once, thin ink lines began to spread like a spider's web from the point that George's wand had touched. They joined each other, they crisscrossed, they fanned into every corner of the parchment; then words began to blossom across the top, great, curly green words, that proclaimed:

 _Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs_

 _Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers_

 _Are proud to present_

 _The Marauder's Map_

"Wow!" Rohini gasped.

It was a map showing every detail of the Hogwarts castle and grounds. But the truly remarkable thing were the tiny ink dots moving around it, each labeled with a name in minuscule writing. Astounded, the twins bent over it.

A labeled dot in the top left corner showed that Professor Dumbledore was pacing his study; the caretaker's cat, Mrs. Norris, was prowling the second floor; and Peeves the Poltergeist was currently bouncing around the trophy room.

"It even shows the ghosts!" Rohini said. "Wait, what are those passages? I've never seen them before."

"Don't tell me," Harry said, his grin only getting bigger, "It leads-"

"Right into Hogsmeade," said Fred, tracing one of them with his finger. "There are seven in all. Now, Filch knows about these four"—he pointed them out—"but we're sure we're the only ones who know about these. Don't bother with the one behind the mirror on the fourth floor. We used it until last winter, but it's caved in—completely blocked."

"And we don't reckon anyone's ever used this one, because the Whomping Willow's planted right over the entrance." George said, pointing at a small drawing of the tree.

"But this one here, this one leads right into the cellar of Honeydukes. We've used it loads of times. And as you might've noticed, the entrance is pretty easy to spot when you now about it, this passage goes through that one-eyed old crone's hump statue."

"Neat…" Rohini said. "Whoever created this was a genius."

"Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs," sighed George, patting the heading of the map. "We owe them so much."

"Noble men, working tirelessly to help a new generation of law-breakers," said Fred solemnly.

"Right," said George briskly. "Don't forget to wipe it after you've used it—"

"—or anyone can read it," Fred said warningly.

"Just tap it again and say, 'Mischief managed!' And it'll go blank."

"Mischief managed." Rohini tried, gasping as the ink slowly faded away. "Neat." She repeated with a dreamy smile on her face.

"So, young Harry, little Rohini" said Fred, in an uncanny impersonation of Percy, "mind you behave yourself."

"See you in Honeydukes," said George, winking.

They left the room, both smirking in a satisfied sort of way.

The twins stood there, gazing at the miraculous map.

"What do we need to say to activate it again?" Rohini asked.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." Harry said and they stared in marvel as the map appeared once more.

"Look, Hagrid is going to the Forbidden Forrest." Rohini said, pointing at Hagrid's name moving fast.

"If Filch really doesn't know…" Harry said, thinking aloud, "we wouldn't have to pass the Dementors at all!"

"I wonder if somebody else knows about this map or those secret passages…" Rohini said. "Do you think… do you think we should… use it?" She finally asked and the twins exchanged a knowing look; they could tell both of them were burning to try it.

"Black would never attack us in plain sight, would he?" Harry asked.

"Hogsmeade is probably too crowded for him to spot us anyway…" Rohini said. "God, I feel so guilty about using it, but I also want to go to Hogsmeade so much!"

"Yeah, me too." Harry said, biting his lips.

He traced the secret passage to Honeydukes with his finger.

"Maybe if we use dad's invisible cloak, it wouldn't be a problem?" He said and Rohini thought about it.

"Black can't attack what he can't see, yes…" Rohini said. She knew it wasn't wise, that she should say no and keep the map to make sure Harry will not do anything stupid. But she was also only 13 and not as wise as she wanted to be.

"Alright; we take dad's cloak and stay under it, no matter what." She said. "We can't take the risk to be seen; Dumbledore knows about the invisible cloak and if someone snitches that they have seen us in Hogsmeade…"

"Ok." Harry said with a nod. "Go wait for me next to the statue; I'll be right back, just need to fetch it."

Rohini rolled up the map, stuffed it inside her pocket and opened the door a couple of inches. There was no one outside.

"See you in a few minutes." She told Harry before the two of them parted way. Once next to the statue of the witch, Rohini opened the map again and searched for Harry. She stopped breathing as Filch crossed path with him but since none of them stopped walking, it was safe to assume Harry was wearing the cloak.

"I'm here." Harry said, raising the cloak for her to hide under it. "Now what?"

They looked at the map again; their little ink selves appeared to be tapping the witch with their wands and the tiniest speech bubble had appeared next to Harry's figure. The word inside said, " _Dissendium_."

"D _issendium_!" Harry whispered, tapping the stone witch.

At once, the statue's hump opened wide enough to admit a fairly thin person. Harry slid into the hole headfirst, and pushed himself forward. Once he had disappeared, Rohini did the same, feeling her heartbeat increasing in excitement and fear.

The inside of the passageway was like a stone slide and Rohini couldn't help but giggle a bit before landing on a dusty, damp ground. Harry helped her back on her feet and they looked around. It was pitch dark.

" _Lumos_!" They muttered at the same time. They were in a very narrow, low, earthy passageway. Rohini raised the map, tapped it with the tip of her wand, and muttered, "Mischief managed!"

The map went blank at once.

"Now, what?" She said and Harry told her to tuck the map inside her pocket before pulling the Invisible Cloak on them once more.

The passage twisted and turned, more like the burrow of a giant rabbit than anything else. The twins didn't talk, stumbling now and then on the uneven floor.

After what felt like an hour, the passage began to rise.

"I'm dying." Rohini wheezed, her face red and a bit sweaty.

Ten minutes later, they came to the foot of some worn stone steps, which rose out of sight above them. They turned off the Lumos spell and began to climb clumsily.

Then, without warning, Harry's head hit something hard and he groaned loudly.

It seemed to be a trapdoor. The twins exchanged a look before pushing it opened.

It opened in a cellar, which was full of wooden crates and boxes. Harry climbed out of the trapdoor first, followed quickly by Rohini. Adjusting the cloak, they crept slowly toward the wooden staircase that led upstairs. Now they could definitely hear muffled voices.

A pair of feet was coming down the staircase. Harry and Rohini waited for the footsteps to pass. Quickly and silently, clamb the stairs; Harry pushed the door opened at the top of the stairs, the twins slipped through it, and found themselves behind the counter of what was probably Honeydukes.

Rohini whistled, wishing she had eight more pairs of eyes to look at everything at the same was so crowded with Hogwarts students that they could have probably take off the Invisibility Cloak without being spotted. Still, Rohini told Harry to be careful.

"Dudley would be so jealous if he could see that." Harry said and Rohini smiled at the thought.

There were shelves upon shelves of the most succulent-looking sweets imaginable. Creamy chunks of nougat, shimmering pink squares of coconut ice, fat, honey-colored toffees; hundreds of different kinds of chocolate in neat rows; there was a large barrel of Every Flavor Beans, and another of Fizzing Whizbees, the levitating sherbert balls that Ron had mentioned.

Along yet another wall were "Special Effects" sweets: Drooble's Best Blowing Gum (which filled a room with bluebell-colored bubbles that refused to pop for days), the strange, splintery Toothflossing Stringmints, tiny black Pepper Imps ("breathe fire for your friends!"), Ice Mice ("hear your teeth chatter and squeak!"), peppermint creams shaped like toads ("hop realistically in the stomach!"), fragile sugar-spun quills, and exploding bonbons.

"I want to try everything." Rohini said as they squeezed themselves through a crowd of sixth years and saw a sign hanging in the farthest corner of the shop (UNUSUAL TASTES).

"Look!" Harry said, pointing at Ron and Hermione who were standing underneath it, examining a tray of blood-flavoured lollipops. Harry headed towards them and Rohini had no choice but to follow.

"Ugh, no, Harry won't want one of those, they're for vampires, I expect," Hermione was saying.

"How about these?" said Ron, shoving a jar of Cockroach Clusters under Hermione's nose.

"Definitely not," said Harry.

Ron nearly dropped the jar as Rohini cursed.

"Harry!" squealed Hermione. "What are you doing here? Where are you?"

"Under dad's cloak." Harry said, quickly showing his face before covering himself again.

"We weren't supposed to be spotted!" Rohini said.

"We aren't spotted, relax." Harry told her.

"Wow!" said Ron, looking very impressed, "you've learned to Apparate!"

"'Course we haven't," said Harry. He dropped his voice so that none of the sixth years could hear him and told them all about the Marauder's Map while Rohini looked around to see if she could spot Padma.

"How come Fred and George never gave it to me!" said Ron, outraged. "I'm their brother!"

"But they aren't going to keep it!" said Hermione, as though the idea were ludicrous. "They are going to hand it in to Professor McGonagall, aren't you, Harry?"

"No, I'm not!" said Harry.

"Are you mad?" said Ron, goggling at Hermione. "Hand in something that good?"

"If I hand it in, I'll have to say where I got it! Filch would know Fred and George had nicked it!"

"But what about Sirius Black?" Hermione hissed. A few heads turned their way, and she waited before continuing, "He could be using one of the passages on that map to get into the castle! The teachers have got to know! Rohini, you're supposed to be smart!"

"Well, even smart people act stupidly sometimes." Rohini said, feeling a bit guilty, before adding "Can we go speak somewhere else? It's a bit too crowded here, I feel uncomfortable."

"Follow us." Ron said.

As they left, Rohini spotted a notice pasted on the inside of the sweetshop door.

 _—_ _BY ORDER OF —_

 _THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC_

 _Customers are reminded that until further notice, Dementors will be patrolling the streets of Hogsmeade every night after sundown. This measure has been put in place for the safety of Hogsmeade residents and will be lifted upon the recapture of Sirius Black. It is therefore advisable that you complete your shopping well before nightfall._

 _Merry Christmas!_

"See?" said Ron quietly. "I'd like to see Black try and break into Honeydukes with Dementors swarming all over the village. Anyway, Hermione, the Honeydukes owners would hear a break-in, wouldn't they? They live over the shop!"

"Yes, but—but—" Hermoine seemed to be struggling to find another problem. "Look, Harry and Rohini still shouldn't be coming into Hogsmeade. They hasn't got a signed form! If anyone finds out, they'll be in so much trouble!"

"That's why I suggested we stayed under the cloak." Rohini said. "Nobody can see through it."

"Come on, Hermione, it's Christmas. They deserves a break." Ron said.

Hermione bit her lip, looking extremely worried.

"Are you going to report me?" Harry asked her, grinning. Rohini elbowed him; it wasn't a reason to be smug about it.

"Oh—of course not." Hermione sighed before giving up. Instead, they gave Harry and Rohini a turn of the village.

Hogsmeade looked like a Christmas card; the little thatched cottages and shops were all covered in a layer of crisp snow; there were holly wreaths on the doors and strings of enchanted candles hanging in the trees.

"I want to stay here forever." Rohini sighed.

They headed up the street, heads bowed against the wind, Ron and Hermione shouting through their scarves.

"That's the post office—"

"Zonko's is up there—"

"We could go up to the Shrieking Shack—"

"Tell you what," said Ron, his teeth chattering, "shall we go for a Butterbeer in the Three Broomsticks first?"

The wind was fierce icy cold and so the twins agreed. They crossed the road, and in a few minutes were entering the tiny inn.

It was quite crowded, noisy, warm, and smoky. A curvy sort of woman with a pretty face was serving a bunch of rowdy warlocks up at the bar.

"That's Madam Rosmerta," said Ron. "I'll get the drinks, shall I?" he added, going slightly red.

"Oh oh." Rohini said, grinning. "Someone's got a crush."

"Shut up." Ron groaned before heading toward the bar.

The twins and Hermione made their way to the back of the room, where there was a small, vacant table between the window and a handsome Christmas tree, which stood next to the fireplace. Ron came back five minutes later, carrying four foaming tankards of hot Butterbeer.

"Merry Christmas!" he said happily, raising his tankard. The twins hurried to grab their own tankards and drank deeply.

"Wow, that's the most delicious thing I'd ever had." Rohini said, giggling a bit.

"It feels a bit too hot under the cloak now." Harry said. "Maybe we can take it off, just for a seco-"

A sudden breeze ruffled his hair. The door of the Three Broomsticks had opened again. The twins looked over the rim of their tankard and choked.

Professors McGonagall and Flitwick had just entered the pub with a flurry of snowflakes, shortly followed by Hagrid, who was deep in conversation with a portly man in a lime-green bowler hat and a pinstriped cloak—Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic.

"Yeah no, bad idea." Rohini gulped.

They watched the teachers and Fudge move toward the bar, pause, then turn and walk right toward them.

" _Mobiliarbus_!" Hermione whispered, and the Christmas tree beside their table rose a few inches off the ground, drifted sideways, and landed with a soft thump right in front of their table, hiding them from view.

They saw four sets of chair legs move back from the table right beside theirs, then heard the grunts and sighs of the teachers and minister as they sat down.

A woman came towards them with a smile. "A small gillywater—" she began, serving the drinks.

"Mine," said Professor McGonagall.

"Four pints of mulled mead—"

"Ta, Rosmerta," said Hagrid.

"A cherry syrup and soda with ice and umbrella—"

"Mmm!" said Professor Flitwick, smacking his lips.

"So you'll be the red currant rum, Minister."

"Thank you, Rosmerta, m'dear," said Fudge, "Lovely to see you again, I must say. Have one yourself, won't you? Come and join us…"

"Well, thank you very much, Minister."

"So, what brings you to this neck of the woods, Minister?" came Madam Rosmerta's voice as she took place with them.

Fudge twisted in his chair as though he was checking for eavesdroppers. Then he said in a quiet voice, "What else, m'dear, but Sirius Black? I daresay you heard what happened up at the school at Halloween?"

"I did hear a rumor," admitted Madam Rosmerta. Rohini leaned slightly closer, trying to hear the muffled conversation better.

"Did you tell the whole pub, Hagrid?" said Professor McGonagall exasperatedly.

"Do you think Black's still in the area, Minister?" whispered Madam Rosmerta.

"I'm sure of it," said Fudge shortly.

"You know that the Dementors have searched the whole village twice?" said Madam Rosmerta, a slight edge to her voice. "Scared all my customers away… It's very bad for business, Minister."

"Rosmerta, m'dear, I don't like them any more than you do," said Fudge uncomfortably. "Necessary precaution… unfortunate, but there you are… I've just met some of them. They're in a fury against Dumbledore—he won't let them inside the castle grounds."

"I should think not," said Professor McGonagall sharply. "How are we supposed to teach with those horrors floating around?"

"Hear, hear!" squeaked tiny Professor Flitwick, whose feet were dangling a foot from the ground.

"All the same," demurred Fudge, "they are here to protect you all from something much worse… We all know what Black's capable of…"

"Do you know, I still have trouble believing it," said Madam Rosmerta thoughtfully. "Of all the people to go over to the Dark Side, Sirius Black was the last I'd have thought… I mean, I remember him when he was a boy at Hogwarts. If you'd told me then what he was going to become, I'd have said you'd had too much mead."

Rohini exchanged a look with Harry; they were about to learn something important, she could feel it.

"You don't know the half of it, Rosmerta," said Fudge gruffly. "The worst he did isn't widely known."

"The worst?" said Madam Rosmerta, her voice alive with curiosity. "Worse than murdering all those poor people, you mean?"

"I certainly do," said Fudge.

"I can't believe that. What could possibly be worse?"

"You say you remember him at Hogwarts, Rosmerta," murmured Professor McGonagall. "Do you remember who his best friend was?"

"Naturally," said Madam Rosmerta, with a small laugh. "Never saw one without the other, did you? The number of times I had them in here—ooh, they used to make me laugh. Quite the double act, Sirius Black and James Potter!"

Harry dropped his tankard with a loud clunk. Rohini didn't react as the rest of his Butterbeer soaked her socks, too shocked to do so. She suddenly remembered the Patils' reaction back in Diagon Alley. Was it what they had been hiding? That Black and their father used to be friend?

"Precisely," said Professor McGonagall. "Black and Potter. Ringleaders of their little gang. Both very bright, of course—exceptionally bright, in fact—but I don't think we've ever had such a pair of troublemakers—"

"I dunno," chuckled Hagrid. "Fred and George Weasley could give 'em a run fer their money."

"You'd have thought Black and Potter were brothers!" chimed in Professor Flitwick. "Inseparable!"

"Of course they were," said Fudge. "Potter trusted Black beyond all his other friends. Nothing changed when they left school. Black was best man when James married Lily. Then they named him godfather to Harry. Harry has no idea, of course. You can imagine how the idea would torment him."

Harry's hands were clenched so hard they had turned white. Rohini was shaking, too. She put a trembling hand on her brother's arm, wondering if they should take their leave now.

Fudge was speaking again, his voice so low Rohini almost missed what he was saying.

"Not many people are aware that the Potters knew You-Know-Who was after them. Dumbledore, who was of course working tirelessly against You-Know-Who, had a number of useful spies. One of them tipped him off, and he alerted James and Lily at once. He advised them to go into hiding. Well, of course, You-Know-Who wasn't an easy person to hide from. Dumbledore told them that their best chance was the Fidelius Charm."

"How does that work?" said Madam Rosmerta, breathless with interest. Professor Flitwick cleared his throat.

"An immensely complex spell," he said squeakily, "involving the magical concealment of a secret inside a single, living soul. The information is hidden inside the chosen person, or Secret-Keeper, and is henceforth impossible to find—unless, of course, the Secret-Keeper chooses to divulge it. As long as the Secret-Keeper refused to speak, You-Know-Who could search the village where Lily and James were staying for years and never find them, not even if he had his nose pressed against their sitting room window!"

"So Black was the Potters' Secret-Keeper?" whispered Madam Rosmerta.

"Naturally," said Professor McGonagall. "James Potter told Dumbledore that Black would die rather than tell where they were, that Black was planning to go into hiding himself… and yet, Dumbledore remained worried. I remember him offering to be the Potters' Secret-Keeper himself."

"He suspected Black?" gasped Madam Rosmerta.

"He was sure that somebody close to the Potters had been keeping You-Know-Who informed of their movements," said Professor McGonagall darkly. "Indeed, he had suspected for some time that someone on our side had turned traitor and was passing a lot of information to You-Know-Who."

"But James Potter insisted on using Black?"

"He did," said Fudge heavily. "And then, barely a week after the Fidelius Charm had been performed—"

"Black betrayed them?" breathed Madam Rosmerta.

Rohini felt her heart skip a beat. She glanced at Harry whose expression was twisted with rage; on this instant, she could barely recognise her brother. She could see Hermione and Ron worryingly glancing at them, probably sensing Harry's emotions.

"He did indeed. Black was tired of his double-agent role, he was ready to declare his support openly for You-Know-Who, and he seems to have planned this for the moment of the Potters' death. But, as we all know, You-Know-Who met his downfall in little Harry Potter. Powers gone, horribly weakened, he fled. And this left Black in a very nasty position indeed. His master had fallen at the very moment when he, Black, had shown his true colors as a traitor. He had no choice but to run for it—"

The next second, Harry jerked on his feet so quickly Rohini barely had time to go after him as he ran outside the pub and headed back to Honeydukes and into the cellar, down into the passageway.

"Harry, wait!" Rohini shouted, grabbing him by the arm and putting him to a stop. Her brother pulled their dad's cloak away furiously, breathing loudly.

"He was their friend." He spat between his clenched teeth. "He was their friend, and he betrayed them!"

"I-"

"Why," Harry kept going, now pacing the damp ground, "Why hadn't _anyone_ ever mentioned the fact they had died because their best friend had betrayed them?"

"Harry, listen-"

"It makes sense now." Harry said, laughing humourlessly. "Malfoy's taunting. He knew. That's why he said that I should be looking for vengeance."

"Malfoy is a little git, don't listen to him." Rohini said, feeling suddenly emotionally drained. "Harry please, calm down. You're scaring me."

"Why? Think I will go running through the streets, looking for Black?" Harry asked. "That I will go, what, murder him once I find him?"

"No; I'm scared because I'm your sister and seeing you like this hurts." Rohini said. Harry looked away, his jaw so tensed Rohini feared he would break a tooth.

"Aren't you angry?" He asked her before sitting on the ground, resting his forehead on his knees. "Don't you want to- to do something?"

Rohini sat on his left, resting her cheek against his shoulder.

"Of course, I'm angry. I want Black to pay for what he did. I want the Dementors to catch him." She said, not realising tears were now running down her cheeks. She picked up a tissue in her pocket and blew her nose before continuing.

"He was their best friend. He was your godfather. He's the reason we have to live with the Dursleys. So yes, I want vengeance. But I also want my brother to stay alive. I won't let Black take you away from me, too, Harry. And I won't let you go after him."

"I know." Harry said in a breath, resting his head against Rohini's. "I know, Rohi. I'm sorry."

"Let's go back to the castle." Rohini said. "I never want to go back to Hogsmeade ever again. We should have never come to begin with, it was a bad idea."

Harry said nothing, helping her back on her feet and they went back to the castle in silence, ignoring Fred and George's knowing smiles when they spot them and avoiding everyone until dinner.

When Padma asked Rohini what was wrong, Rohini lied and said it was just her periods. Padma didn't seem convinced but said nothing, rubbing Rohini's back while Luna tried to cheer her up with new theories about Snape's evil nature.

Outside, the snow was still falling, covering everything with a white, icy cloak. A dog howled somewhere, the sound muffled by the conversations in the Great Hall.

It had been the worst way to begin the holidays.


	13. Chapter 13

Most students had left the castle behind to return to their families for the holidays and Rohini found herself working twice as hard to finish her homework as fast as possible and dedicating her free time to her Animagus training.

She was sitting in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom to be sure nobody will bother her when the door swung open and her brother came in, ignoring Myrtle who got all giggly.

"Here, that's him." Harry said as he sat next to Rohini who raised her head from the Potions essay she was writing.

Harry was holding his leather-bound photo album Hagrid had given him two years ago, filled with family photos. The picture he was showing her was their parents' wedding day.

There was their father waving up at them, beaming, his familiar untidy black hair standing up in all directions. There was also Lily Potter, their mother, alight with happiness, arm in arm with their dad.

"They look so happy…" Rohini said, tracing their silhouettes with her index.

"And there…" Harry said, pointing at the best man, "That's him. Sirius Black. It has to be him."

Rohini stared silently at the young man standing next to their parents, looking at them proudly. If she hadn't known it was the same person, she would never have guessed it was Black in this old photograph. His face wasn't sunken and waxy, but young, full of laughter.

Had he already been working for Voldemort when this picture had been taken? Could a traitor look at his victim with such fondness?

"I wish we could warn them." Rohini said in a quiet voice. "I wish- I wish there was a way to go back to that day and tell them not to trust Black."

"Me too." Harry said as he turned the page. The next picture was Lily and James asleep on a couch, James drooling on a pillow. Judging by the boxes around them, they must have just move in their new house.

"Oh, look at this one!" Rohini said, pointing at a picture where their mum had shorter hair. "It suits her."

"Suits her more than dad's blond hair." Harry said and the twins chuckled at the look on their Lily's face as she stared at her husband's hair.

"It looks horrible, yeah." Rohini laughed. She glanced at Harry discreetly and noticed how tired he looked. The dreadful revelation had left him angry and unable to sleep without nightmares.

"Harry-"She began but a small knock at the door interrupted her before Hermione and Ron got inside the bathroom.

"I honestly don't get why you still come here." Ron said, waving at Moaning Myrtle to go away. The ghost pouted and disappeared into her personal toilet with a loud moan.

"I'm being nostalgic." Rohini said before shaking her head. "Just kidding. I just wanted to be able to do my homework in peace. Peeves is excessively annoying lately and follows us everywhere."

Hermione sat in front of the twins, frowning.

"Harry, listen," she began, speaking carefully, "you must be really upset about what we heard back at the Three Broomsticks. But the thing is, you mustn't go doing anything stupid."

"Why aren't you including Rohini in this?" Harry said, frowning.

"Because I never do anything stupid, obviously." Rohini said.

"What do you expect me to do, anyway?" Harry asked.

"Trying to go after Black," said Ron sharply.

"He's not worth dying for." Hermione said.

Rohini glanced at Harry; her brother's expression had shifted into a grim one and his jaw was tensed.

"D'you know what I see and hear every time a Dementor gets too near me?" Ron and Hermione shook their heads, looking apprehensive. "I can hear our mum screaming and pleading with Voldemort. And if you'd heard your mum screaming like that, just about to be killed, you wouldn't forget it in a hurry."

"They aren't asking us to forget, Harry." Rohini said, looking at Hermione who looked down, obviously uncomfortable.

"You want to—to kill Black or something?" Ron asked, glancing from one twin to the other. Rohini shook her head.

"I've killed a Basilisk last year. That's honestly enough killing to my liking." She said.

Harry didn't answer. Rohini sighed, pinching her nose tiredly.

"Harry, please," said Hermione, her eyes now shining , "please be sensible. Black did a terrible, terrible thing, but d-don't put yourself in danger, it's what Black wants… Oh, Harry, you'd be playing right into Black's hands if you went looking for him. Your mum and dad wouldn't want you to get hurt, would they? They'd never want you to go looking for Black!"

"I'll never know what they'd have wanted, because thanks to Black, I've never spoken to them," said Harry shortly.

"No sane parents would want their children dead." Rohini pointed out.

An awkward silence followed, only broken by Myrtle's moans.

"Look," said Ron, obviously casting around for a change of subject, "it's the holidays! It's nearly Christmas! Let's—let's go down and see Hagrid. We haven't visited him for ages!"

"Yeah, let's go," said Harry, sitting up, "and I can ask him how come he never mentioned Black when he told us all about my parents!"

"Let's just ask him how he's doing." Rohini said carefully.

"Or we could have a game of chess," Ron said hastily, "or Gobstones. Percy left a set—"

"No, let's visit Hagrid," said Harry firmly.

Rohini put back her things in her back and stood up with a groan as her bones cracked. As they left the bathroom and walked out the castle, she kept a warry eye on her brother. They made their way slowly down the lawn, making a shallow trench in the glittering, powdery snow, their socks and the hems of their cloaks soaked and freezing. The Forbidden Forest looked as though it had been enchanted, each tree smattered with silver, and Hagrid's cabin looked like an iced cake.

Ron knocked, but there was no answer.

"He's not out, is he?" said Hermione, who was shivering under her cloak.

"Hagrid!" Rohini called, "It's us!"

"There's a weird noise," Ron said with his ear against the door. "Listen—is that Fang?"

"Hagrid!" called Harry, thumping the door. "Hagrid, are you in there?"

There was a sound of heavy footsteps, then the door creaked open. Hagrid stood there with his eyes red and swollen, tears splashing down the front of his leather vest.

"Yeh've heard?" he bellowed, and he flung himself onto the twins' neck.

Hagrid being at least twice the size of a normal man, this was no laughing matter. Rohini huffed and Ron and Hermione seized Hagrid under an arm and heaved him back into the cabin. Harry exchanged a warry glance with Rohini, his anger gone as they stepped inside and closed the door behind them.

Hagrid allowed himself to be steered into a chair and slumped over the table, sobbing uncontrollably, his face glazed with tears that dripped down into his tangled beard. They were surprised to find Buckbeak the hippogriff lying in the corner, chomping on something that was oozing blood all over the floor.

"I couldn' leave him tied up out there in the snow!" choked Hagrid. "All on his own! At Christmas."

"Hagrid, what is it?" said Hermione, aghast. Rohini kneeled next to him and awkwardly patted his arm.

Harry spotted an official-looking letter lying open on the table.

"What's this, Hagrid?"

Hagrid's sobs redoubled, but he shoved the letter toward Harry, who picked it up and read aloud:

 _Dear Mr. Hagrid,_

 _Further to our inquiry into the attack by a hippogriff on a student in your class, we have accepted the assurances of Professor Dumbledore that you bear no responsibility for the regrettable incident._

"Well, that's okay then, Hagrid!" said Ron, clapping Hagrid on the shoulder. But Hagrid continued to sob, and waved one of his gigantic hands, inviting Harry to read on.

 _However, we must register our concern about the hippogriff in question. We have decided to uphold the official complaint of Mr. Lucius Malfoy, and this matter will therefore be taken to the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures. The hearing will take place on April 20th, and we ask you to present yourself and your hippogriff at the Committee's offices in London on that date. In the meantime, the hippogriff should be kept tethered and isolated._

 _Yours in fellowship…_

There followed a list of the school governors.

"Oh no…" Rohini said. "Hagrid, I'm so sorry!"

"But you said Buckbeak isn't a bad hippogriff, Hagrid. I bet he'll get off—" Ron began but Hagrid shook his head.

"Yeh don' know them gargoyles at the Committee fer the Disposal o' Dangerous Creatures!" choked Hagrid, wiping his eyes on his sleeve. "They've got it in fer interestin' creatures!"

"You can't accept it, Hagrid." Rohini said, standing up. "You need to fight back!"

"You'll have to put up a good strong defense, Hagrid," said Hermione, sitting down and laying a hand on Hagrid's massive forearm. "I'm sure you can prove Buckbeak is safe."

"Won't make no diff'rence!" sobbed Hagrid. "Them Disposal devils, they're all in Lucius Malfoy's pocket! Scared o' him! An' if I lose the case, Buckbeak—"

Hagrid drew his finger swiftly across his throat, then gave a great wail and lurched forward, his face in his arms. Rohini glanced back at Buckbeak, feeling sick at the idea of him being executed. And all of this because of Malfoy…

"What about Dumbledore, Hagrid?" said Harry.

"He's done more'n enough fer me already," groaned Hagrid. "Got enough on his plate what with keepin' them dementors outta the castle, an' Sirius Black lurkin' around—"

"Listen, Hagrid," Harry said, "you can't give up. Hermione's right, you just need a good defense. You can call us as witnesses—"

"I'm sure I've read about a case of hippogriff-baiting," said Hermione thoughtfully, "where the hippogriff got off. I'll look it up for you, Hagrid, and see exactly what happened."

"So will I." Rohini promised.

"Er—shall I make a cup of tea?" said Ron.

They all stared at him.

"It's what my mum does whenever someone's upset," Ron muttered, shrugging.

"You know what, sounds like a good plan actually." Rohini agreed.

At last, after many more assurances of help, with a steaming mug of tea in front of him, Hagrid blew his nose on a handkerchief the size of a tablecloth and said, "Yer right. I can' afford to go ter pieces. Gotta pull meself together…"

Fang the boarhound came timidly out from under the table and laid his head on Hagrid's knee.

"I've not bin meself lately," said Hagrid, stroking Fang with one hand and mopping his face with the other. "Worried abou' Buckbeak, an' no one likin' me classes—"

"We do like them!" lied Hermione at once.

"Don't listen to Malfoy and his gang." Rohini told him.

"An' them dementors make me feel ruddy terrible an' all," said Hagrid, with a sudden shudder. "Gotta walk past 'em ev'ry time I want a drink in the Three Broomsticks. 'S like bein' back in Azkaban—"

He fell silent, gulping his tea. After a pause, Hermione said timidly, "Is it awful in there, Hagrid?"

"Yeh've no idea," said Hagrid quietly. "Never bin anywhere like it. Thought I was goin' mad. Kep' goin' over horrible stuff in me mind… the day I got expelled from Hogwarts… day me dad died… day I had ter let Norbert go…"

His eyes filled with tears. Norbert was the baby dragon Hagrid had once won in a game of cards. Rohini gave him another awkward pat on the shoulder.

"Yeh can' really remember who yeh are after a while. An' yeh can' see the point o' livin' at all. I used ter hope I'd jus' die in me sleep… When they let me out, it was like bein' born again, ev'rythin' came floodin' back, it was the bes' feelin' in the world. Mind, the dementors weren't keen on lettin' me go."

"But you were innocent!" said Hermione.

Hagrid snorted.

"Think that matters to them? They don' care. Long as they've got a couple o' hundred humans stuck there with 'em, so they can leech all the happiness out of 'em, they don' give a damn who's guilty an' who's not."

Hagrid went quiet for a moment, staring into his tea. Then he said quietly, "Thought o' jus' letting Buckbeak go… tryin' ter make him fly away… but how d'yeh explain ter a hippogriff it's gotta go inter hidin'? An'—an' I'm scared o' breakin' the law…" He looked up at them, tears leaking down his face again. "I don' ever want ter go back ter Azkaban.

As soon as they left Hagrid's hut, they went to the library returned to their respective common room laden with books that might help prepare a defense for Buckbeak. Rohini learnt more than her share of really interesting information but didn't fully appreciated it for she knew Buckbeak's life was in danger.

Her mood improved as Christmas get closer; thick streamers of holly and mistletoe were strung along the corridors, mysterious lights shone from inside every suit of armor, and the Great Hall was filled with its usual twelve Christmas trees, glittering with golden stars.

A powerful and delicious smell of cooking pervaded the corridors, and by Christmas Eve, it had grown so strong that Rohini had to run after Thranduil through the whole castle as he tried to sneak out, attracted by the smell.

On Christmas morning, Rohini awoken at the sound of Harry's voice who contacted her through their two way mirrors.

"Merry Christmas, little brother." Rohini said with a sleepy smile, knowing Harry didn't like it when she implied she was the eldest one. "Have you already opened your gifts?"

"No, I was thinking we could have done it at the same time." Harry said and Rohini nodded, telling him she will contact him again as soon as she was in the Ravenclaw common room.

"When does Christmas come before Thanksgiving?" The eagle head asked her.

"Heeerrrr…" Rohini said. "When someone time travel back to October right after Christmas?"

"Not the answer I was expecting, but it works for this time." The eagle said before letting her inside.

The common room smelt like mint and there were some Christmas Carol songs playing in the background. It felt odd, to be the only one inside.

"Alright." Rohini said, taking her mirror off her bag. "I'm in."

"Ready?" Harry said, sounding quite excited.

"Ready." Rohini said, grinning back.

She looked around and found the small heap of parcels with her name on it at the feet of the Christmas tree.

"Ron, your mum knitted us a new sweater!" Rohini said, eyes full of admiration as she got the blue and silver sweater off the parcel. "Wow, she knitted an eagle on mine!"

"Gryffindor lion for me." Harry told her, beaming. There was also a dozen home-baked mince pies, some Christmas cake, and a box of nut brittle. "Oh, Ginny send me a letter…" he said, turning red.

"That's adorable." Rohini chuckled. "She send me one too, though I doubt it's as cute as yours…"

"Oh, shut up." Harry groaned. "Did you get anything from Padma?"

"Yeah!" Rohini said, showing him a little package. "I wonder what it is…" She said, tearing the paper apart. "Oh, it's a book about Hinduism!"

"What's that?" Harry asked, curious.

"It's a religion. Maybe she grew tired of me asking questions, and decided to buy me a book to answer them instead." Rohini thought aloud. "Oh, there's also special pastries her father baked! Nice…"

"What's that?" she heard Ron ask and looked over his shoulder.

"What is what?" Rohini asked, curious as she swallowed a whole almond cake.

"Dunno…"

She heard Harry ripping the parcel open and gasped loudly.

"I don't believe it," he said hoarsely.

"What? What is it?" Rohini asked. "Come on, tell me!"

"It's… it's a Firebolt!" Harry said, beaming.

"What, seriously?!" Rohini asked. "Who on earth is rich enough to buy you a Firebolt?!"

"I don't know, there's no card."

"That's not the Dursleys for sure…" Rohini said, glancing at the toothpaste they had sent her.

"I bet it was Dumbledore," said Ron, "He sent you the Invisibility Cloak anonymously…"

"That was our dad's, though," said Harry. "Dumbledore was just passing it on to me. He wouldn't spend hundreds of Galleons on me. He can't go giving students stuff like this—"

"Yeah, he likes you but not that much. That would be creepy." Rohini said, her eyes falling on a little package. "Oh, I've got something anonymous too!"

"Really?" Harry asked. "Open it!"

Rohini teared off the newspapers wrapped around what looked like a journal.

"It's a journal, but it looks old…" Rohini said, picking the leather journal up and turning it around before opening it. "Oh, there's something written inside!"

"What does it say?" Harry asked and Rohini took a look at a few pages. The different handwritings were slightly messy but still easily readable. It seemed to be diverse side notes concerning spells, charms and potions.

"It looks like some kind of student tips…" She said before her eyes felt upon the word "Animagus". Whoever had written it was describing the process of becoming an Animagus without a confirmed wizard or witch's help. Eyes shining with interest, Rohini almost forgot about Harry who was talking with Ron about his own expensive gift.

"Hey, Harry"—Ron gave a great whoop of laughter—"Malfoy! Wait till he sees you on this! He'll be sick as a pig! This is an international standard broom, this is!"

"Whoever sent this must like you a lot." Rohini said. "I wish I was the one behind it, but I refuse to spend so much on a gift."

"Don't worry," Harry said with a smile, "I'm grateful for those new pair of socks."

"You never have enough socks." Rohini chuckled. "Thanks for the new set of ink. I was running low on supplies."

Meanwhile, Ron was still trying to figure out who was behind the Firebolt.

"I know who it could've been—Lupin!" Ron said and the twins laughed. "What?"

"Come on Ron," Rohini said, rolling her eyes. "I don't want to sound rude, but Lupin looks a bit…"

"If he had this much gold, he'd be able to buy himself some new robes." Harry finished.

"Yeah, but he likes you," said Ron. "And he was away when your Nimbus got smashed, and he might've heard about it and decided to visit Diagon Alley and get this for you—"

"What d'you mean, he was away?" said Harry. "He was ill when I was playing in that match."

"Well, he wasn't in the hospital wing," said Ron. "I was there, cleaning out the bedpans on that detention from Snape, remember?"

"Really?" Rohini asked, puzzled. She felt like something was wrong, but couldn't put her finger on what exactly.

"I can't see Lupin affording something like this anyway." She said. "Well, see you two at breakfast!"

Awkwardly carrying all her gifts, she found her way back to the dorm and put everything on her bed except from the journal that she put in her bag. She took off her pyjamas and decided to wear her new Christmas sweater instead.

"How do I look?" She asked Thranduil. Her cat opened an eye, yawned, and fell back asleep.

To her surprise, Harry and his friends didn't look very happy as she sat with them for breakfast. Ron and Hermione went into an argument about the Firebolt and Rohini admitted that Hermione had a point, which seemed to offend Ron.

"It's not like Black could get inside the shop and be like "Hey, I'm going to buy your most expensive broomstick for my godson and jinx it! Merry Christmas!"" Ron said.

"He's got a point, too." Harry said.

"Let's forget about Black for now." Rohini decided while helping herself to some pudding. "It's Christmas after all."

Hermione didn't talk for the rest of the meal, her lips pinched and throwing annoyed glance at Ron and Harry. She didn't seem pleased by Rohini's journal either, saying it was a bit like cheating.

"Oh, Hermione," Rohini sighed dramatically, "Those tips could make the use of magic way much easier than the way it is taught. It's perfect! I'm sure it was written by Ravenclaws."

"Aren't you supposed to be the studying-lover kind?" Ron asked and Rohini laughed.

"Us? We love _knowledge_. But give us a boring subject and we will do our best to ask the right questions to shift into something more interesting. That's probably why we're always late on the program. Turns the teachers crazy."

"You're worse than Slytherins." Harry said and Rohini gave him a wink.

As it was still snowing, they decided to go play outside before lunch, Rohini and Hermione easily winning the enchanted snowball fight. (Rohini suspected Hermione had been aiming at Ron's head the whole time on purpose.)

At lunchtime they went down to the Great Hall -nose red and soaked wet- to find that the House tables had been moved against the walls again, and that a single table, set for thirteen, stood in the middle of the room. Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, Sprout, and Flitwick were there, along with Filch, the caretaker, who had taken off his usual brown coat and was wearing a very old and rather moldy-looking tailcoat. There were only three other students, two extremely nervous-looking first years and a sullen-faced Slytherin fifth year.

"Merry Christmas!" said Dumbledore as Ron, Hermione and the twins approached the table. "As there are so few of us, it seemed foolish to use the House tables… Sit down, sit down!"

Rohini took place between Professor Flitwick and Harry.

"Crackers!" said Dumbledore enthusiastically, offering the end of a large silver noisemaker to Snape, who took it reluctantly and tugged. With a bang like a gunshot, the cracker flew apart to reveal a large, pointed witch's hat topped with a stuffed vulture.

Rohini busted in laugh, remembering the boggart accident. Snape's mouth thinned and he pushed the hat toward Dumbledore, who swapped it for his wizard's hat at once. Rohini met Snape's eyes and wondered if she imagined the murderous vibe it gave off. Probably not.

"Dig in!" Professor Dumbledore advised the table, beaming around.

As Harry was helping himself to roast potatoes and Rohini pushed away the carrots from her green peas, the doors of the Great Hall opened again. It was Professor Trelawney, gliding toward them as though on wheels.

She had put on a green sequined dress in honor of the occasion, making her look more than ever like a glittering, oversized dragonfly.

"Sibyll, this is a pleasant surprise!" said Dumbledore, standing up.

"I have been crystal gazing, Headmaster," said Professor Trelawney in her mistiest, most faraway voice, "and to my astonishment, I saw myself abandoning my solitary luncheon and coming to join you. Who am I to refuse the promptings of fate? I at once hastened from my tower, and I do beg you to forgive my lateness…"

"Certainly, certainly," said Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling. "Let me draw you up a chair—"

And he did indeed draw a chair in midair with his wand, which revolved for a few seconds before falling with a thud between Professors Snape and McGonagall. Professor Trelawney, however, did not sit down; her enormous eyes had been roving around the table, and she suddenly uttered a kind of soft scream.

"Headmaster! You are thirteen around this table! Nothing could be more unlucky! Never forget that when thirteen dine together, the first to rise will be the first to die!"

"Well, one more reason to sit down with us, Sibyll," said Professor McGonagall impatiently. "The turkey's getting stone cold."

Professor Trelawney hesitated, then lowered herself into the empty chair, eyes shut and mouth clenched tight, as though expecting a thunderbolt to hit the table. Professor McGonagall poked a large spoon into the nearest tureen.

"Tripe, Sibyll?"

Professor Trelawney ignored her. Eyes open again, she looked around once more and said, "But where is dear Professor Lupin?"

"I'm afraid the poor fellow is ill again," said Dumbledore, indicating that everybody should start serving themselves. "Most unfortunate that it should happen on Christmas Day."

"But surely you already knew that, Sibyll?" said Professor McGonagall, her eyebrows raised.

Professor Trelawney gave Professor McGonagall a very cold look.

"Certainly I knew, Minerva," she said quietly. "But one does not parade the fact that one is All-Knowing. I frequently act as though I am not possessed of the Inner Eye, so as not to make others nervous."

"That explains a great deal," said Professor McGonagall tartly.

Professor Trelawney's voice suddenly became a good deal less misty.

"If you must know, Minerva, I have seen that poor Professor Lupin will not be with us for very long. He seems aware, himself, that his time is short. He positively fled when I offered to crystal gaze for him—"

"Imagine that," said Professor McGonagall dryly.

"Maybe we should write him a "get well" card?" Rohini suggested quickly, blushing as everybody turned their face towards her.

The suggestion seemed to amuse Dumbledore who waved his hand and a silly looking card appeared in front of Rohini, as well as ink and a quill.

"Let's all wish our best to our dear Professor Lupin." He said with an encouraging smile.

Rohini wrote a quick note before giving the card to Harry and so on. She couldn't help but grin as Snape found himself having to write something, too. He glanced at her again, and Rohini was pretty sure he was planning her murder.

The rest of the meal went rather well and even the Slytherin boy seemed to relax, laughing at a witty joke told by Professor Flitwick, who actually possessed a great sense of humour.

Professor Trelawney behaved almost normally until the very end of Christmas dinner, two hours later. Full to bursting with Christmas dinner and still wearing their party hats, Harry and Rohini got up first from the table and she shrieked loudly.

"My dears! Which of you left his seat first? Which?"

"No idea." Rohini said, resting a hand on her poor heart that was beating fast from the shock.

"I doubt it will make much difference," said Professor McGonagall coldly, "unless a mad axe-man is waiting outside the doors to slaughter the first into the entrance hall."

Rohini hid her grin behind her sleeve before taking her leave, her nose buried in her journal again. Once alone in the dorm, she got her wand out and tried a few spells written in it. She couldn't wait to try the potion tips during classes, hoping those would work so well it make Professor Snape choke on jealousy.

Staring at the first page that had been left blank, an idea suddenly grew inside her mind and Rohini pointed her wand at it.

"I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good." She said, tapping her wand against the paper. Nothing happened first, but as she began to close the book, a short message in green ink appeared:

 _Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs_

 _Purveyors of Aids to Poor, bored Students_

 _Presents you all their secrets to be a powerful, glamorous wizard (or witch_ )

"Well, thank you Messrrs." Rohini said with a grin. "Your help is much appreciated."

All in all, it truly had been a wonderful Christmas.


	14. Chapter 14

**Hi guys! I just wanted to thank you all again for reading this fic, it means a lot to me. Sadly, the next few updates will be slower than usual for i'm starting my summer job tomorrow and it will take most of my time.**

 **Thank you for your patience!**

 **Love, Truc.**

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Rohini wasn't surprise when the day after Christmas, she heard that Professor McGonagall had taken Harry's new broomstick to make sure it hadn't been jinxed. She tried her best to reconcile Harry and Ron with Hermione, in vain; the boys seemed convinced that Hermione had betrayed them in the worst possible way.

"Drama queens." Rohini sighed while eating breakfast, eyeing the Great Hall's open gates in case Padma was coming back today. A few students had already returned, but the Patil twins weren't ones of them.

"I think the boys are being silly," Hermione told her on the 31th of December as they sat in the library, going through dusty books to figure out a good defence for Buckbeak's trial. "I mean, I'm sure I made the right decision. And I'd rather have them upset at me than Harry being injured, or worse…"

"I know, Hermione." Rohini said, writing down a paragraph that seemed interesting. "You know how they are. They'll forgive you, eventually."

"At least I didn't talk about the map." Hermione kept going. "I still believe you should hand it back to Professor McGonagall or Professor Flitwick."

"It's just a map, Hermione. " Rohini sighed, "And since the twins had been using it for years, I doubt Sirius Black could have jinxed it."

"Yeah, but… Nevermind. You're just as stubborn as Harry." Hermione said and Rohini raised an eyebrow. She was pretty sure Harry was more stubborn than her, actually.

"If that can make you feel better, Hermione, neither Harry or I have used the Marauders' map again."

"But you're using their journal, aren't you?" Hermione said and Rohini groaned. "Fine. But don't come complaining if something goes wrong with it!"

"Nothing will go wrong." Rohini assured her. "Here, read this part. I think it might be useful…"

She handed a massive book to Hermione and the Marauders topic wasn't brought again for the rest of the afternoon.

Classes started again the next week. Padma came back during breakfast, looking prettier than ever.

"I missed you!" She told Rohini while hugging her. "Did you start reading the book I sent you?"

"I've already read it twice." Rohini said and Padma huffed, calling her a show off. "Also, tell your dad he's the best cook I've ever met."

"You should come eat at our place during summer vacation. He can't wait to show you his real skills with a proper meal, not just pastries."

"Who knows, maybe the Dursleys will actually let me come over…" Rohini sighed before waving at Luna who had just entered the Great Hall, wearing funny sparkling glasses. They spent the rest of the hour talking about the Lovegoods' trip to Scotland.

"Dad almost got eaten by a funny looking creature called Nessie." Luna explained while biting in a toast.

"What?!" Rohini said, "You mean, Nessie is real?! So cool…"

"What is Nessie?" Padma asked, puzzled.

"A Muggle legend. Well, it was supposed to be a legend." Rohini said before checking the time and frowning. "Oh, it's time to go… I'm really not looking forward to ¨facing Snape's ugly face again." She sighed and Luna gently patted her shoulder.

"Let's go, then." Padma said, looking just as unmotivated as Rohini.

As they sat in front of their cauldron, Rohini told Padma about the journal and they decided to follow its indications about the Confusing Draught. To their surprise, it did make the whole process easier. They even finished five minutes before the rest of the class.

"Whoever sent you this journal must really like you." Padma said as they headed to the Transfiguration classroom. "It's still a bit odd that they didn't leave a card, but I doubt they have bad intentions…"

Since they had the whole afternoon free, Rohini asked Padma if she wanted to help her with her research about Hippogriffs trials. Padma agreed and they both spent the afternoon inside the library, sitting as close as possible to gain some warmth.

When Rohini's hands got so cold she could barely turn the pages of the books, the two friends agreed to go back to their Common Room where they sat until dinner. Judging by their expressions, the boys hadn't forgiven Hermione yet.

Tuesday had been quite interesting; Hagrid seemed to be feeling slightly more confident about his teaching skills again and they all sat comfortably around a bonfire full of salamanders and sometimes stood up to collect dry wood and leaves to keep the fire blazing while the flame-loving lizards scampered up and down the crumbling, white-hot logs.

As for Divination, Professor Trelawney was now teaching them palmistry, and she lost no time in informing Rohini that she had the shortest life line she had ever seen. Rohini wasn't surprised at this point; considering how dangerous the past years had been, it was already surprising she's lived for so long.

As they head to Potions, Rohini spotted Professor Lupin who waved at her to come closer.

"Professor! Did you get our Christmas Card?" She asked him and Professor Lupin chuckled.

"Yes, it was quite a surprise." He said. "I've heard you were the one suggesting it in the first place. Thank you."

"You're welcome." Rohini answered, looking away awkwardly. "So, about the personal training…"

"Ah yes," said Lupin, "Harry and I agreed to meet about eight o'clock on Thursday evening, in the History of Magic classroom. Will it be fine with you?"

"Sure!" Rohini said before Padma called her, saying they were going to be late for Potions. "Oops, I have to go or Sn- Professor Snape is going to kill us." She said, running after her best friend and waving at Professor Lupin.

"Was he ill again?" Padma asked as they walked down the stairs. "He looked a bit pale and thinner…"

"Dunno what's wrong with him…" Rohini said and Padma opened her mouth to say something, thought about it, and shrugged. "What? Do you have an idea?"

"I'm not sure." Padma said, looking bothered. "It would be pretty serious if it is what I think I is…"

"Which is?" Rohini asked but they had to stop their conversation as they arrived right in time before Snape closed the door of his classroom.

"Late again." He said, sneering. "5 points from Ravenclaw."

Rohini began to open her mouth but Padma pushed her inside before she had the chance to complain.

Rohini didn't tell Harry that she, too, will be meeting Lupin later in the week. At eight o'clock on Thursday evening, she waited for Lupin and Harry to arrive inside the History of Magic classroom. It was dark when she arrived and she decided to wait in the shadow for Harry to arrive.

The door opened again and Harry stepped in. Grinning, Rohini walked behind him and…

"BOO!" She screamed, slamming her hands on her brother's shoulders. Harry yelled and, probably by reflex, punched her in the nose.

"Outch!" Rohini hissed, one hand holding her now slightly bleeding nose. "Damn Harry, learn to take a joke!"

"Rohini, what the heck?" Harry said, trying to calm down, leaning against a table. Just at this moment, Professor Lupin arrived, lit up the candles with a wave of his wand and looked at them in surprise and confusion.

"Long story." Rohini mumbled as Professor Lupin helped her to stop the bleeding.

"She tried to scare me, and I accidentally punched her." Harry said. Professor Lupin chuckled before putting a large packing case on Professor Binns' desk.

"What's that?" said the twins.

"Another boggart," said Lupin, stripping off his cloak. "I've been combing the castle ever since Tuesday, and very luckily, I found this one lurking inside Mr. Filch's filing cabinet. It's the nearest we'll get to a real dementor. The boggart will turn into a dementor when he sees you, Harry, so we'll be able to practice on him. I can store him in my office when we're not using him; there's a cupboard under my desk he'll like."

"That's a good idea!" Rohini said and Harry frowned.

"Why are you here, by the way?" He asked.

"Wow, glad to see how happy you are to see me." Rohini grumbled and Harry rolled his eyes. "I'm here to learn how to defend myself, too. You're not the only one who fainted in the train."

"So…" Professor Lupin began, catching their attention. He then took out his own wand, and indicated that the twins should do the same. "The spell I am going to try and teach you is highly advanced magic,—well beyond Ordinary Wizarding Level. It is called the Patronus Charm."

"How does it work?" asked Harry nervously. Rohini sat on the closest chair and leaned closer, interested.

"Well, when it works correctly, it conjures up a Patronus," said Lupin, "which is a kind of anti-Dementor—a guardian that acts as a shield between you and the Dementor."

Rohini pictured some kind of armoured giant chasing the Dementor with a sword.

"Neat." She said.

Professor Lupin continued, "The Patronus is a kind of positive force, a projection of the very things that the Dementor feeds upon—hope, happiness, the desire to survive—but it cannot feel despair, as real humans can, so the Dementors can't hurt it. But I must warn you that the charm might be too advanced for you. Many qualified wizards have difficulty with it."

"What does a Patronus look like?" said Harry curiously.

"Each one is unique to the wizard who conjures it."

"A bit like with Animagi?" Rohini asked and Professor Lupin nodded.

"To conjure it, you will need an incantation, which will work only if you are concentrating, with all your might, on a single, very happy memory. Try to think of one, right now."

"Err…" Rohini said, pinching her lips as she tried to figure out what to think of.

There was the day Harry and she learnt they belonged to the wizardly world. There was also the first time she went to Diagon Alley. How proud she had been when the Ravenclaw had won the House Cup thanks to her. How Padma had looked at her with shiny eyes and a large, beautiful smile on her face before hugging her.

"You're grinning like an idiot." Harry whispered and Rohini elbowed him, her cheeks feeling a bit hot.

"Have you found your happy memory? Good." Professor Lupin said, before clearing his throat. "The incantation is this- Expecto patronum!"

"Expecto patronum." The twins repeated.

"Professor? Is it going to work if I'm not facing the Boggart, too? Because it would get confused if I stand next to Harry."

"Do not worry; you don't necessary need to face the Dementor to cast the spell. After all, the Boggart isn't a real Dementor itself."

"I see." Rohini said, nodding. "Sounds logical."

"Good." Lupin said, clasping his hands. "Go on, try it."

"Expecto Patronum!" The twins said in unison and something whooshed suddenly out of the end of their wands; it looked like a wisp of silvery gas.

"Did you see that?" said Harry excitedly. "Something happened!"

"Neat." Rohini said again, grinning.

"Very good," said Lupin, smiling. "Right, then—ready to try it on a Dementor?"

"Yes," Harry said and Rohini nodded, taking a step back to stay behind Harry as he moved into the middle of the deserted classroom.

"Stay positive." Rohini whispered to her brother. "Think about how awesome your big sis' is."

"Shhh." Harry said, though he was half smiling.

Lupin grasped the lid of the packing case and pulled.

A Dementor rose slowly from the box, its hooded face turned toward Harry, one glistening, scabbed hand gripping its cloak. The lamps around the classroom flickered and went out. Rohini tensed, feeling suddenly older.

The Dementor stepped from the box and started to sweep silently toward Harry, drawing a deep, rattling breath. Rohini tried to keep Padma's smile in mind.

"Expecto patronum!" Harry yelled. "Expecto patronum! Expecto—"

"Harry, focus!" Rohini said as Harry seemed to weaken. "Expecto Patronum!" She tried but only a tiny silver gas cloud whooshed in front of her. "Shit. Expecto Patronum!" She tried again with the same result.

Harry suddenly fall on his knees and Rohini shouted his name, kneeling next to him right in time before he fainted. But by doing so, she caught the Boggart's attention and the creature turned into Lily Potter, looking just as real as the last time.

"Go away!" Rohini shouted as her mother began to scream, surrounded by a green halo. Rohini closed her eyes, refusing to look at it again. She only opened them again as Professor Lupin touched her shoulders with a sorry smile.

"Here, eat it." Professor Lupin said, handing her a Chocolate Frog.

"Thanks." Rohini said, before trying to shake Harry awake.

After a minute or two, Harry jerked back to life.

"Sorry," he muttered, sitting up with Rohini's help.

"You ok?" Rohini asked him and Harry nodded.

"Here—" Lupin also gave him a Chocolate Frog. Rohini wondered if he just walked around with his pockets filled with chocolate all the time. "Eat this before we try again. I didn't expect you to do it your first time; in fact, I would have been astounded if you had."

"It's getting worse," Harry muttered, biting off the Frog's head. "I could hear her louder that time—and him—Voldemort—"

Rohini took his hand and squeezed it. Lupin looked paler than usual.

"If you don't want to continue, I will more than understand—"

"I do!" said Harry fiercely, stuffing the rest of the Chocolate Frog into his mouth. "I've got to! What if the Dementors turn up at our match against Ravenclaw? I can't afford to fall off again. If we lose this game we've lost the Quidditch Cup!"

"Geeze Harry, you could get hurt. That's the main problem, not losing a match!" Rohini grunted. She knew Quidditch was important for Harry, but she hated how he put his own security behind winning.

"All right then…," said Lupin, sensing a sibling fight. "You might want to select another memory, a happy memory, I mean, to concentrate on… That one doesn't seem to have been strong enough…"

Harry thought about it before nodding. Rohini stood up too, standing right behind him.

"Ready?" said Lupin, gripping the box lid.

"Ready," said the twins.

"Go!" said Lupin, pulling off the lid. The room went icily cold and dark once more. The Dementor glided forward, drawing its breath; one rotting hand was extending toward Harry—

"Expecto patronum!" Harry yelled. "Expecto patronum! Expecto pat—"

"Harry, concentrate, come on!" Rohini tried to encourage him. "Expecto patronum!"

Once again, she produced a tiny silver gas cloud and this time, the Dementor stopped. It was still too close to Harry who fainted again. This time, Rohini let Professor Lupin take care of the Boggart before coming closer to her brother.

"Harry! Harry… wake up…" She said, shaking him. Harry's eyes were a bit cloudy as he stared at her.

"I heard dad," Harry mumbled. "That's the first time I've ever heard him—he tried to take on Voldemort himself, to give my mum time to run for it…"

Harry's eyes were tearful and Rohini found herself crying a bit too. Sniffing, she turned to rub her eyes with her sleeve and took a deep breath, pinching her trembling lips.

"You heard James?" said Lupin in a strange voice.

"Yeah…" Face dry, Harry looked up. "Why—you didn't know our dad, did you?"

"I—I did, as a matter of fact," said Lupin. "We were friends at Hogwarts. Listen,—perhaps we should leave it here for tonight. This charm is ridiculously advanced… I shouldn't have suggested putting you through this…"

"No!" said Harry. He got up again. "I'll have one more go! I'm not thinking of happy enough things, that's what it is… Hang on…"

Rohini said nothing, thinking about Lupin's revelation. If he was friend with their dad, then surely he knew about Sirius Black? She tried to think about the wedding photo. Was Professor Lupin on it and the twins had missed it?

But Harry got to his feet and faced the packing case once more and so Rohini did the same, trying to think of another happy memory.

She thought of their first Christmas at Hogwarts, when she received the family picture sent by Dumbledore. How happy she had been, to see what their parents looked like for the first time.

"Ready?" said Lupin, who looked as though he were doing this against his better judgment. "Concentrating hard? All right—go!"

He pulled off the lid of the case for the third time, and the Dementor rose out of it; the room fell cold and dark—

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Harry bellowed. "EXPECTO PATRONUM! EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

"Expecto Patronum!" Rohini repeated. "EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

The Dementor halted and suddenly a huge, silver shadow came bursting out of the end of the twins' wands.

"Wow!" Rohini gasped.

"Riddikulus!" roared Lupin, springing forward.

There was a loud crack, and the two cloudy Patronus vanished along with the Dementor. Harry sat down on a chair and Rohini looked at Professor Lupin forcing the Boggart back into the packing case with his wand; it had turned into a silvery orb again.

Again, Rohini felt like she knew something, but couldn't point out what exactly. A silvery orb… a silvery orb…

"Excellent!" Lupin said, striding over them. "Excellent, you two!"

"Can we have another go? Just one more go?" Harry pleaded and Rohini groaned, exhausted.

"Not now," said Lupin firmly. "You've had enough for one night. Here—"

He handed them a large bar of Honeydukes' best chocolate each.

"Wow." Rohini said, looking at Professor Lupin with stars in her eyes. "Professor, you're like the Willy Wonka of the Wizardly world."

Professor Lupin laughed.

"Thank you, Rohini. Next time next week?"

"Okay," said Harry. The twins ate their bars in silence.

"Professor Lupin?" Harry said. "If you knew my dad, you must've known Sirius Black as well."

Lupin turned very quickly.

"What gives you that idea?" he said sharply.

"Dad and Sirius Black were friends. We heard someone talk about it." Rohini said. "So if you were friend with dad, it would have been awkward if you weren't friend with Black either."

Lupin's face relaxed.

"Yes, I knew him," he said shortly. "Or I thought I did. You'd better be off, it's getting late."

"Thanks, Professor." Rohini said as she and Harry left the classroom, walking along the corridor and around a corner in silence.

"I'm so drained." Rohini finally admitted and Harry nodded, gulping his last bite of chocolate. "You're thinking about something stupid again, I can feel it." She then said and Harry stopped walking.

"I-" He began, looking a bit guilty about his thoughts. "The Dementors' effect on me… Hearing mum and dad's voices… I can't help but want to hear them." He finally admitted.

"Oh, Harry…" Rohini said and Harry sighed.

"They're dead and I know that. They're dead and listening to echoes of them won't bring them back."

"I would feel the same, too." Rohini said and Harry glanced at her. "I mean it. It's an understandable need, Harry."

"If you say so." Harry said, though he looked slightly better. "See you tomorrow?"

"See you tomorrow. Goodnight, little brother of mine." Rohini said, giving him a loud kiss on the cheek that made him grimace.

Heading back to the dorm, she was surprised to see that Padma had been waiting for her. Thranduil was lying on her laps, looking pleased.

"Hey." Rohini said with a tired smile.

"Hey." Padma said, patting the bed and Rohini took place next to her. "You look terrible. How did it go?"

"I'm not sure." Rohini said. "I mean, it went well. But Harry… I'm worried about him. I know he's strong, more than he seems to believe, but- I don't want him to get hurt anymore."

"I understand." Padma said, rubbing Rohini's back and Rohini sighed, resting her cheek against Padma's shoulder. "Anything I can do?"

"A hug will be nice." Rohini said and Padma chuckled before hugging her. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." Padma said before yawning. "Well, we should go to bed now. You look ready to faint."

"Alright, mum." Rohini said, rolling her eyes and Padma kicked her out of her bed. "Goodnight, Padma."

"Goodnight, Rohini." Padma said, already half asleep.

Thranduil looked at Rohini, then at Padma, then back at Rohini and made sure to held eye contact as he lay back next to Padma.

"Traitor." Rohini mumbled in her pillow.

"Meow." Was Thranduil's answer.


	15. Chapter 15

**Wow, first week at work was pretty intense and since we're moving into a new house, I had no internet connection to post this update. Sorry for the wait!**

 **I think this chapter is rather light hearted and nothing bad happens ahah. There's some kind of revelation at the end, but 1) it's not truly important to the story and 2) i doubt it will comes as a surprise. Have fun!**

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For the next few days, it was quite common to see Rohini and Wood argues in the middle of the corridor or after some of the Gryffindors' Quidditch practices.

Wood had increased the number of them to five a week and Rohini was trying to convince him that it wasn't healthy and killing his team wasn't going to make them win. Between Lupin's classes and practices, Harry seemed to have gotten thinner and Rohini was worried about his health.

Still, Wood was just as stubborn as her and refused to manage his team. The Weasley twins promised her to honour Harry's death if Wood killed him and Rohini gave up, grumbling under her breath. She herself was growing quite exhausted between her homework, Professors Lupin and McGonagall's training as well as putting up a defence line for Buckbeak.

"You should worry about yourself as much as you worry about Harry." Padma told her one day as they sat in the Common Room, helping Luna with a quite tricky essay.

"If she doesn't, we will worry for her." The Second Year said absently, entangling a stand of blond hair around her index. "How is your training going?"

"Slower than I'd like, but I'm not the most patient person ever." Rohini sighed, resting her head on her arms. "It's pretty exhausting."

"You're amazing for going through it." Luna said with a smile and Rohini thanked her, blushing slightly.

January faded imperceptibly into February, with no change in the bitterly cold weather. Both Harry and Rohini had lost a few pounds from all the stress and exhaustion and even Professor Lupin's chocolates weren't enough to plump them up a bit.

Several sessions on, the twins were able to produce an indistinct, silvery shadow every time the boggart-Dementor approached Harry. Their pseudo-Patronus only hovered around though, like a semi-transparent cloud, draining the twins' energy away.

Rohini refused to let it bring her down but she could tell Harry felt angry with himself for wanting to hear their parents' voices was probably part of the reasons he couldn't make any progresses.

"You're expecting too much of yourself," said Professor Lupin sternly in their fourth week of practice. "For a thirteen-year-old wizard, even an indistinct Patronus is a huge achievement. You aren't passing out anymore, are you?"

"I thought a Patronus would—charge the Dementors down or something," said Harry dispiritedly. "Make them disappear—"

"The true Patronus does do that," said Lupin. "But you've achieved a great deal in a very short space of time. If the Dementors put in an appearance at your next Quidditch match, you will be able to keep them at bay long enough to get back to the ground."

"You said it's harder if there are loads of them," said Harry.

"I have complete confidence in you," said Lupin, smiling. "Here—you've earned a drink—something from the Three Broomsticks. You won't have tried it before—"

He pulled three bottles out of his briefcase.

"Butterbeer!" said Harry, without thinking. "Yeah, I like that stuff!"

Rohini forced a smile on her face while discreetly elbowing her brother as Lupin raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, Ron was eager to make us try and brought us a bottle each last time." Rohini lied on spot and Harry nodded, trying to look casual.

"I see," said Lupin, though he still looked slightly suspicious. "Well—let's drink to a Gryffindor victory against Ravenclaw!"

"Hey!" Rohini said, offended and the two other chuckled. "Don't think we'll be beaten so easily!"

They drank the Butterbeer in silence, until Harry voiced something he'd been wondering for a while.

"What's under a Dementor's hood?"

Professor Lupin lowered his bottle thoughtfully. Rohini raised her head, interested.

"Hmmm… well, the only people who really know are in no condition to tell us. You see, the Dementor lowers its hood only to use its last and worst weapon."

"What's that?"

"They call it the Dementor's Kiss," said Lupin, with a slightly twisted smile.

"A _what_?" Rohini asked, grimacing as she pictured a rotting skeleton giving someone a loud smooch.

"It's what Dementors do to those they wish to destroy utterly." Professor Lupin explained. "I suppose there must be some kind of mouth under there, because they clamp their jaws upon the mouth of the victim and—and suck out his soul."

Harry accidentally spat out a bit of Butterbeer on his sister and Rohini threw him a disgusted glance.

"What—they kill—?"

"Oh no," said Lupin. "Much worse than that. You can exist without your soul, you know, as long as your brain and heart are still working. But you'll have no sense of self anymore, no memory, no… anything. There's no chance at all of recovery. You'll just—exist. As an empty shell. And your soul is gone forever… lost."

Lupin drank a little more Butterbeer, then said, "It's the fate that awaits Sirius Black. It was in the Daily Prophet this morning. The Ministry have given the Dementors permission to perform it if they find him."

"That's awful." Rohini said, shivering. She couldn't imagine how one could be alive while being literally dead inside.

"He deserves it," Harry said suddenly.

"You think so?" said Lupin lightly. "Do you really think anyone deserves that?"

"Yes," said Harry defiantly. "For… for some things…" He glanced at Rohini as they both thought about what they had overheard.

"What do you think of it, Rohini?" Lupin asked her and Rohini played with a hole in her sleeve before answering.

"I think Harry's opinion is valid because Black is a murderer. But… I'm sorry, but I don't think anyone deserves that. Plus, a Dementor's kiss would mean that people can't even feel remorse or actually pay for what they did, don't you think?" She asked, and Lupin nodded.

"I doubt Black cans fell any remorse." Harry whispered, staring at his Butterbeer.

"I don't really wanna talk about him." Rohini admitted and they both finished their Butterbeer in silence, thanked Lupin, and left the History of Magic classroom.

"You ok?" Harry asked her and it took a few seconds for Rohini to answer; it wasn't that Harry didn't care about her of course, but she was usually the one asking this question.

"I…", she began, not sure of what to say. "I don't know. I mean, I'm pretty tired. And I tend to worry too much about a certain little brother." She added with a wink and Harry rolled his eyes. "You?"

"I'm fine." Harry lied and Rohini stared at him until he sighed. "Ok, I'm not fine. But don't worry too much about me, ok?"

"Impossible request." Rohini pointed out. "I'm a worry machine."

"Well, get an "Off" button then." Harry said and the two kept gently bickering until they accidentally walked into Professor McGonagall halfway up the stairs.

"Do watch where you're going, Potters!"

"Sorry, Professor." The twins apologised.

"I've just been looking for you in the Gryffindor common room. Well, here it is, we've done everything we could think of, and there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with it at all. You've got a very good friend somewhere, Potter…"

Harry's jaw dropped. She was holding out his Firebolt, and it looked as magnificent as ever.

"So it's really safe for Harry to use?" Rohini asked and McGonagall nodded.

"I can have it back?" Harry said weakly. "Seriously?"

"Seriously," said Professor McGonagall, and she was actually smiling. "I daresay you'll need to get the feel of it before Saturday's match, won't you? And Potter—do try and win, won't you? Or we'll be out of the running for the eighth year in a row, as Professor Snape was kind enough to remind me only last night…"

"Ravenclaw will not be defeated so easily, Professor." Rohini assured her, though she smiled fondly at the look on Harry's face.

They parted way soon after Harry had suggested Rohini tried the Firebolt after his next practice, which she had politely declined. If she didn't mind riding a Hippogriff, Rohini wasn't so fond of broomsticks.

She talked about it with her friends in the Ravenclaw common room and must have speak as loud as usual for soon a few Ravenclaws stood around, asking if it was true that Harry got a Firebolt. The Ravenclaw's Seeker, Cho Chang, seemed a bit worried about it.

"Don't worry; I'm sure you will be amazing." Rohini said and the beautiful girl seemed surprised.

"I'd thought you would be on your brother's side." She said and Rohini shrugged.

"House Pride first." She joked and Cho Chang smiled before leaving the Common Room.

"You like her." Luna said, making Rohini jolt.

"Excuse me?" She asked and Luna repeated herself. "I- I mean, I'm just being nice!"

"It's ok." Luna assured her while turning her attention back to her magazine. "Dad told me once everybody had a crush on a Quidditch Player at least once in their lives."

"I-" Rohini began, now as red as a tomato. "Luna!" She said, hitting her friend with a roll of parchment and making her chuckle.

"What did I miss?" Padma asked, sitting back next to them. "Rohini, are you ok? You look a bit feverish."

"Never felt any better." Rohini said, not missing the amused smile on Luna's lips. Padma looked at her friends suspiciously, sighed, and lay down on the carpet next to Rohini.

"I feel like we'll never see the end of all those homework." She groaned and Rohini gave her an understanding pat on the shoulder.

"We'll get through it." Rohini assured her. "We'll get through it." She repeated.

Padma smiled and went back to her homework.

Rohini almost didn't wake up the next morning, feeling exhausted after this past week of intense training. She could tell she had become stronger, both in skills and mentally but like everything, it came with a price.

She arrived right in time for breakfast and sat between her friends, asking Padma why she didn't wake her up.

"You looked like you needed a rest." She said, handing Rohini a plate of scrambled eggs. "Here, eat."

"Everybody is treating Harry like some kind of Gryffindor Messiah." Rohini noticed, watching with amusement as everybody looked with admiration at her brother's new broomstick.

"Oh oh, here come troubles." Luna said, pointing at Malfoy and his gang walking towards the Gryffindor table.

"I'm sure Harry can handle it." Rohini said, not in the mood to fight with Malfoy. Besides, she was pretty sure Harry will not hesitate to roast Malfoy if needed. Her brother seemed more confident now that his Firebolt was back into his hands. Good.

She was proven right as the Gryffindor team burst in laugh after something Harry had said to Malfoy who stalked away, looking furious.

At a quarter to eleven, the two teams left before the rest of the school and Rohini waved at Harry before wishing good luck to Cho Chang who gave her a little smile.

"Ginny!" Rohini called as she spotted their friend a few steps away. "You look great today!" She complimented her friend who giggled, embarrassed.

"Rohini, the Praising Queen." Padma teased and the girls headed towards the Stadium in a light mood. The weather couldn't have been more different from the Gryffindor match against Hufflepuff.

Today was a sunny day, even if still a bit chill because of the cool wind blowing weakly. Rohini nervously checked the sky to make sure no Dementors was floating around like vultures.

Finally, the two teams walked out onto the field to tumultuous applause. Rohini borrowed Padma's binnacles and didn't miss the way Harry blushed slightly when Cho Chang smiled at him. It was funny, how both twins reacted identically when facing the pretty Seeker.

"Wood, Davies, shake hands," Madam Hooch said briskly, and Wood shook hands with the Ravenclaw Captain.

"Mount your brooms… on my whistle… three—two—one—"

Harry kicked off into the air and the Firebolt zoomed higher and faster than any other broom and the Gryffindors cheered loudly. As usual, Lee Jordan was the one commenting the match.

"They're off, and the big excitement this match is the Firebolt that Harry Potter is flying for Gryffindor. According to Which Broomstick, the Firebolt's going to be the broom of choice for the national teams at this year's World Championship—"

"Jordan, would you mind telling us what's going on in the match?" interrupted Professor McGonagall's voice.

"Right you are, Professor—just giving a bit of background information—the Firebolt, incidentally, has a built-in auto-brake and—"

"Jordan!"

"Okay, okay, Gryffindor in possession, Katie Bell of Gryffindor heading for goal…"

"Go, Go, Ravenclaw!" Rohini's friends cheered loudly, waving little blue and silver flags. One of the Ravenclaws' player blocked Katie's path and another player stole the quaffle from her.

Harry streaked past Katie in the opposite direction, gazing around for a glint of gold and noticing that Cho Chang was tailing him closely. She was undoubtedly a very good flier—she kept cutting across him, forcing him to change direction.

"Smart girl." Padma noticed.

Harry suddenly dived; Cho saw what he was doing and tore after him but Harry was speeding up. Rohini remembered him telling her that dives were his strong point and even though she found it extremely dangerous (what if he missed and crashed?) she couldn't help but feel proud of him. He was a natural, but he definitely got better in three years.

"Gryffindor leads by eighty points to zero, and look at that Firebolt go! Potter's really putting it through its paces now, see it turn—Chang's Comet is just no match for it, the Firebolt's precision-balance is really noticeable in these long—"

"JORDAN! ARE YOU BEING PAID TO ADVERTISE FIREBOLTS? GET ON WITH THE COMMENTARY!"

"I live for Professor McGonagall and Lee's commentaries." Rohini laughed.

Ravenclaw was pulling back; they had now scored three goals, which put Gryffindor only fifty points ahead—if Cho got the Snitch before Harry, Ravenclaw would win.

"Go, Go, Ravenclaw!" and "Gryffindor, Gryffindor!" where echoing in the Stadium, everyone more invested than ever in the match.

Harry dropped lower, narrowly avoiding a Ravenclaw Chaser, scanning the field frantically. He accelerated, eyes fixed on the speck of gold ahead—but just then, Cho appeared out of thin air, blocking him—

"HARRY, THIS IS NO TIME TO BE A GENTLEMAN!" Wood roared as Harry swerved to avoid a collision. "KNOCK HER OFF HER BROOM IF YOU HAVE TO!"

"Cho is grinning." Padma noticed. "I think Harry might have a chance…"

"Oh, hush." Rohini grumbled. Discussing her brother's potential romantic life was way too embarrassing. She didn't miss the discreet way Luna glanced at her before reporting her attention back to the match.

"Oh no, look!" Padma suddenly said, elbowing Rohini who looked down and froze; three Dementors, three tall, black, hooded Dementors, were looking up at him.

But be it from the thrill of the game, Harry didn't even blink before whipping out his wand and roared, "Expecto patronum!"

Something silver-white, something enormous, erupted from the end of his wand. Harry didn't stop and went after the Stitch without a second glance at the Dementors.

Dementors who, judging by their faces as they tripped over their robes, were nothing else but Malfoy and his acolytes.

"This little-"Rohini began, furious as Padma and Luna tried to restrain her from going after the three Slytherins. The second after, the whole stadium burst into a loud cheer as Harry finally caught the small, struggling Snitch.

Madam Hooch's whistle sounded. Harry turned around in midair and saw six scarlet blurs bearing down on him; next moment, the whole team was hugging him so hard he was nearly pulled off his broom. Down below he could hear the roars of the Gryffindors in the crowd.

"That's my boy!" Wood kept yelling. Alicia, Angelina, and Katie had all kissed Harry; Fred had him in a grip so tight Harry felt as though his head would come off. In complete disarray, the team managed to make its way back to the ground.

Rohini ran faster than anybody else and tackled down Harry off his feet, smiling proudly and messing up with his hair.

"Stop embarrassing him!" She heard Ron behind her and she childishly pulled out her tongue at him before letting go of her brother.

"Good job, brother of mine." She said before letting the rest of the Gryffindor steal her brother away to celebrate.

"He did well." Cho Chang said behind her as the Ravenclaw team finally landed.

"So did you; you were impressive." Rohini told her and Cho Chang chuckled before following her team out of the stadium. Then, Rohini turned her face on the left, losing her smile.

Lying in a crumpled heap on the ground were Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and Marcus Flint, the Slytherin team Captain, all struggling to remove themselves from long, black, hooded robes. It looked as though Malfoy had been standing on Goyle's shoulders. Standing over them, with an expression of the utmost fury on her face, was Professor McGonagall.

"An unworthy trick!" she was shouting. "A low and cowardly attempt to sabotage the Gryffindor Seeker! Detention for all of you, and fifty points from Slytherin! I shall be speaking to Professor Dumbledore about this, make no mistake! Ah, here he comes now!"

"You cowards." Rohini spat at them before following the rest of the school back to the castle to party.

"Harry was awesome!" Ginny said, excitingly commentating about Harry's techniques and skills. Rohini exchanged a knowing grin with Padma but said nothing.

The Gryffindors were heading towards their Common Room loudly now, almost carrying their team in pride. Ginny asked Luna if she wanted to sneak inside the Common Room with her, convinced nobody will realised her best friend had come in.

Left behind, Padma and Rohini walked around randomly through the castle in a comfortable silence before settling down in a deserted stairway. Then, Rohini took of her wand and tried a few harmless spells from her journal.

Padma did the same and soon, Rohini found herself with a handful of coloured flowers.

"Here, allow me." Padma said, taking them and Rohini stared, curious at what her best friend was going to do.

"ooOOOOh!" Rohini said when a few minutes later, Padma was holding a flower crown. "That's so cool!"

"Here." Padma said with a smile before putting it on Rohini's head. Magic involved or not, it fitted perfectly. "It looks nice on you."

"Thanks." Rohini said, looking away with a blush. "Would be prettier on you, though."

"What do you mean?" Padma asked, frowning.

"You know," Rohini began, nervously playing with the hole in her sleeves that kept getting bigger, "You're way prettier than me. So, it would look better on you? Nevermind, this is awkward."

"Rohini." Padma said, squeezing Rohini's cheeks with a serious expression. "Don't be silly. If I'm pretty, then you're just as pretty as I am. It's like being smart; Harry is smart in his own way, and you are in your own, too."

"Oh." Rohini said. "I never thought of it this way."

"Well, now you will." Padma said with her soft smile back.

And on this instant, Rohini realised she was a little in love with her best friend.

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 **Hi again!**

 **I assure you that Rohini's "romantic" life if we can call it likes that will not be a big part of this story. She has more things to worry about, like a certain Prisoner and handing her homework in time. I just felt like as a 13 yo, she would probably enjoy the "joy" of developing crushes, and I thought it would be interesting to talk about it from time to time?**

 **See you soon guys!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Thank you guys for your support 3**

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Rohini had an odd dream that night. She was standing in front of a lake, surrounded by an eerie fog and whispers.

Curious, she walked closer to the lake and shivered when she realised she had no reflection; the water was pitchy black until a cloud moved away; the full moon then reflected on the lake, a huge silver orb. Rohini kneeled, wanting to touch it.

But as she approached her hand, two glowing eyes appeared on the other side of the surface and before she knew it, Rohini was pulled into the lake, sinking deeper and deeper as the creature tried to drown her.

Rohini woke up panting and covered in a cold sweat, eyes wide opened like a doe in front of a car. She heard Padma groan and shift on her left and Rohini was glad she hadn't awoken anyone; the girls were easily grumpy when up too early.

Thranduil meowed and jumped back on her bed, rubbing his face against her arm. Rohini sighed and lay back on her bed, scratching her cat's chin. Thranduil closed his eyes and purred loudly, helping her to relax.

"I wonder what it was all about…" Rohini whispered. "I feel like it's some kind of hint, but I just can't figure out what."

"Mew." Thranduil said.

"Yeah, I think so, too." Rohini yawned before falling back asleep.

The next morning, terrible news were announced by a stern looking McGonagall; Sirius Black had found his way back into the castle, and even succeeded to get inside the Gryffindor common room.

Terrified, everybody began to share their theories about how Black could have managed to pass the Dementors twice now.

"I told you, Hogwarts isn't as safe as they pretend it is." Lisa was saying grimly to Zach and Lola. "I'm gonna ask mum and dad if I can't move abroad to another school. I'm too young to get murdered."

"It's very strange." Luna said, handing Rohini a buttered toast. "Maybe Black is a vampire, and can't be detected by Dementors?"

"I think Dementors should be able to detect him, still." Rohini thought, glancing at Harry.

By the look of it, he had been unable to sleep last night. She couldn't help but think about how close Sirius Black had been to her brother and it was horrifying; in just a blink, Harry could have been killed and she would have been unable to do anything about it.

"I'm considering asking Dumbledore to send Harry away." She finally said. "Somewhere safe, where Black wouldn't be able to follow."

"Harry would refuses, Rohini." Padma said. "And you know more than anyone that you can't force him."

"I know but he could have died last night, and I'm just- I can't deal with the fear of leaving him for one second, knowing that it could be the moment Sirius Black strikes again for good."

"I'm sure you're both safer than it looks like." Luna suddenly said, and the two girls looked at her in confusion. "Harry and you both looks like your parents, right?"

"Yeah, especially our dad."

"Even when the lights aren't on, the moonlight gets inside through the windows. I'm sure that if Sirius Black had been aiming for Harry last night, he would have been able to recognise him." Luna explained. "Ron and he look pretty different, don't they? And Black probably knows what you two looks like by now."

"That's… that's actually curious, yeah." Rohini admitted, frowning. "But why attacking Ron? I mean, he's Ron! Sure he's excellent at chess but that aside, he isn't really anything special is he?"

"No idea." Luna said, her dreamy expression back on her face. "Dad sent me a letter this morning. The next edition of The Quibbler will have a special article on Nessie and the rest of Scotland's creatures. Do you want me to keep one for you?"

"Oh, that would be kind of you!" Rohini said, forgetting about Black for a second. "I can't wait to hear about your dad's discoveries!"

"Me too." Padma said. "I'm curious about this Nessie now."

Throughout the day, everywhere they went they saw signs of tighter security; Professor Flitwick could be seen teaching the front doors to recognize a large picture of Sirius Black; Filch was suddenly bustling up and down the corridors, boarding up everything from tiny cracks in the walls to mouse holes. Sir Cadogan had been fired. His portrait had been taken back to its lonely landing on the seventh floor, and the Fat Lady was back.

She had been expertly restored, but was still extremely nervous, and had agreed to return to her job only on condition that she was given extra protection. A bunch of surly security trolls had been hired to guard her. They paced the corridor in a menacing group, talking in grunts and comparing the size of their clubs.

"After Dementors, Trolls?" Rohini said one day during their Lunch break that she spent helping Harry with his Transfiguration's essay. "They will end up killing a student before Black does."

"The statue of the one-eyed witch on the third floor is still unguarded and unblocked. It seemed that Fred and George had been right in thinking that they were the only ones who knew about the hidden passageway within it." Harry pointed out, cursing as an ink drop stained his parchment.

"Do you think we should tell someone?" Rohini asked him before waving her wand to cast a cleaning spell and the stain vanished.

"Thanks. And I don't know, Ron said that it's impossible that Black came in through the shop" Harry said, obviously siding with his best friend. "We'd've heard if the shop had been broken into."

"You just want to be able to go back to Hogsmeade." Rohini pointed out. "And Ron isn't the wisest boy around. I'm sure you didn't ask Hermione's opinion."

"It's pretty much impossible to talk to her anyway." Harry said, though he looked slightly guilty.

"You should talk to her, Harry. She isn't doing so good; she almost fell asleep during Ancient Runes last time."

"We'll see."

Pinching her lips, Rohini told Harry about what Luna had told her a few days ago.

"It doesn't make sense." Harry said, frowning. "I mean, Ginny was targeted last year but it was a personal vengeance from Lucius Malfoy. Why would Black target Ron instead of me?"

"I don't know, Harry." Rohini sighed. "If you want a prediction, ask Professor Trelawney. I'm sure she will gladly predict Ron's inevitable murder."

"Ahah, hilarious." Harry said, deadpan, and Rohini winked at him.

"Did you get Hagrid's letter too, this morning?" Rohini then asked him and Harry nodded.

The note said:

 _Dear Rohini,_

 _How about having tea with me this afternoon 'round six?_

 _I'll come and collect you from the castle._

 _WAIT FOR ME IN THE ENTRANCE HALL;_

 _YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED OUT ON YOUR OWN._

 _Cheers,_

 _Hagrid_

So at six o'clock that afternoon, the twins and Ron met at the entrance hall and waited for Hagrid. Rohini had asked Luna and Padma if they wanted to come, but they both homework to finish.

"Hagrid!" Rohini said with a big smile when she saw their friend arrive. "It's been a while!"

"Here, let's hurry." Hagrid said, a protective hand on the twins' shoulder.

The first thing they saw on entering Hagrid's cabin was Buckbeak, who was stretched out on top of Hagrid's patchwork quilt, his enormous wings folded tight to his body, enjoying a large plate of dead ferrets. Close to him were a gigantic, hairy brown suit and a very horrible yellow-and-orange tie hanging from the top of Hagrid's wardrobe door.

"What are they for, Hagrid?" said Harry.

"Buckbeak's case against the Committee fer the Disposal o' Dangerous Creatures," said Hagrid. "This Friday. Him an' me'll be goin' down ter London together. I've booked two beds on the Knight Bus…"

"Oh…" Rohini said, feeling nervous. "Did Hermione gave you my notes for Bucky's defense? We worked on it together but I was really busy lately and asked her to give them to you for me."

"Yeah, thank yeh. Yeh two were amazin'." Hagrid said while pouring them tea and offering them a plate of Bath buns that they politely declined. Fang was lying at Rohini's feet, drooling on her shoes.

"I got somethin' ter discuss with you two," said Hagrid, sitting himself between the boys and looking uncharacteristically serious.

"What?" said Harry.

"Hermione," said Hagrid.

"What about her?" said Ron.

"She's in a righ' state, that's what. She's bin comin' down ter visit me a lot since Chris'mas. Bin feelin' lonely. Firs' yeh weren' talking to her because o' the Firebolt, now yer not talkin' to her because her cat—"

"—ate Scabbers!" Ron interjected angrily. Rohini shushed him.

"Because her cat acted like all cats do," Hagrid continued doggedly. "She's cried a fair few times, yeh know. Goin' through a rough time at the moment. Bitten off more'n she can chew, if yeh ask me, all the work she's tryin' ter do. Still found time ter help me with Buckbeak's case, mind… She's found some really good stuff fer me… reckon he'll stand a good chance now…"

"Hagrid, we should've helped as well—sorry—" Harry began awkwardly.

"I'm not blamin' yeh!" said Hagrid, waving Harry's apology aside. "Gawd knows yeh've had enough ter be gettin' on with. I've seen yeh practicin' Quidditch ev'ry hour o' the day an' night—but I gotta tell yeh, I thought you two'd value yer friend more'n broomsticks or rats. Tha's all."

Harry and Ron exchanged uncomfortable looks. Rohini hold back a "I told you so", not wanting to guilt trip her brother and friend any further.

"Really upset, she was, when Black nearly stabbed yeh, Ron. She's got her heart in the right place, Hermione has, an' you two not talkin' to her—"

"If she'd just get rid of that cat, I'd speak to her again!" Ron said angrily. "But she's still sticking up for it! It's a maniac, and she won't hear a word against it!"

"Oh for god sake, Ron." Rohini couldn't help but groan. "Your cat already so old he would have probably die before the end of the year anyway!"

"Ah, well, people can be a bit stupid abou' their pets," said Hagrid wisely, trying to calm the tension between the two friends.

They spent the rest of their visit discussing Gryffindor's improved chances for the Quidditch Cup and Hagrid's classes. At nine o'clock, Hagrid walked them back up to the castle.

As she returned to the Ravenclaw Common Room, Rohini was told that the next Hogsmeade visit was this weekend. She could already tell Harry would want to go back and even though she wasn't as thrilled as before about it, she refused to let Harry risks going there alone.

On Saturday morning, the twins waited for the rest of the Third Years to leave, waving at their friends and tellinh them to have a good time before pulling the Invisibility Cloak over their heads, the Marauder's Map safe into Rohini's pocket.

It was a good thing they had decided to hide in advance; as they reached the statue, they almost bumped into Neville and, to their horror, Snape. They stared helplessly as their awful teacher took the time to bully the poor boy before leaving.

"I don't understand why Dumbledore doesn't fire him." Rohini said angrily as Harry opened the hump, heaved himself inside, and slid down at the bottom of the stone chute. Rohini went after him and wiped the Marauder's Map blank again, then set off at a run.

The sudden sunlight once they emerged outside Honeydukes made them feel a bit dizzy and it took her a few minutes to find Ron in the crowd of students.

"It's us." Harry muttered, tapping Ron's shoulder.

They set off up the High Street.

"Where are you?" Ron kept muttering out of the corner of his mouth. "Are you still there? This feels weird…"

They went to the post office; Ron pretended to be checking the price of an owl to Bill in Egypt so that the twins could have a good look around. The owls sat hooting softly down at them, at least three hundred of them; from Great Grays right down to tiny little Scops owls ("Local Deliveries Only"), which were so small they could have sat in the palm of Rohini's hand.

"I want thousands of them." Rohini said with shining eyes.

"You weirdo." Ron said and Rohini slapped his arm.

Then they visited Zonko's, which was so packed with students that Rohini feared she was going to faint or that they will accidentally reveal their presences here.

There were jokes and tricks to fulfil even Fred's and George's wildest dreams; Harry gave Ron whispered orders and passed him some gold from under the cloak but Rohini only watched. They left Zonko's with the boys' money bags considerably lighter than they had been on entering and their pockets bulging with Dungbombs, Hiccup Sweets, Frog Spawn Soap, and a Nose-Biting Teacup apiece.

Rohini felt sorry when she spotted Hermione alone in front of a bookstore, looking exhausted and lonely. The boys must have seen her too, for their suddenly turned on their heels to walk in the opposite direction.

The day was fine and breezy, and neither of them felt like staying indoors, so they walked past the Three Broomsticks and climbed a slope to visit the Shrieking Shack, the most haunted dwelling in Britain. It stood a little way above the rest of the village, and even in daylight was slightly creepy, with its boarded windows and dank overgrown garden.

"I don't understand," Rohini began, "Why you guys would be scared of a haunted place. Like, there's literally a hundred ghosts flying around daily at Hogwarts, and you wizards still manage to fear a haunted place?"

"It's just very scary. Even the Hogwarts ghosts avoid it," said Ron as they leaned on the fence, looking up at it. "I asked Nearly Headless Nick… he says he's heard a very rough crowd lives here. No one can get in. Fred and George tried, obviously, but all the entrances are sealed shut…"

"Maybe we can try to sneak inside…" Rohini suggested, remembering that time when she was eight and had sneaked into an abandoned old house that was rumoured to be haunted. She had almost broken her ankle, cut her right hand so badly she still had a scar on it but had found nothing remotely spooky inside.

They suddenly heard voices nearby. Someone was climbing toward the house from the other side of the hill; moments later, Malfoy had appeared, followed closely by Crabbe and Goyle. Malfoy was speaking.

"…should have an owl from Father any time now. He had to go to the hearing to tell them about my arm… about how I couldn't use it for three months…"

Crabbe and Goyle sniggered.

"I really wish I could hear that great hairy moron trying to defend himself…'There's no 'arm in 'im, 'onest—'…that Hippogriff's as good as dead—"

Malfoy suddenly caught sight of Ron. His pale face split in a malevolent grin. He could obviously not see the twins who were staring at him angrily.

"What are you doing, Weasley?"

Malfoy looked up at the crumbling house behind Ron.

"Suppose you'd love to live here, wouldn't you, Weasley? Dreaming about having your own bedroom? I heard your family all sleep in one room—is that true?"

Harry seized the back of Ron's robes to stop him from leaping on Malfoy with one hand and Rohini's arm with the other.

"Leave him to me," he hissed in Ron's ear.

The opportunity was too perfect to miss. The twins crept silently around behind Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, bent down, and scooped a large handful of mud out of the path.

"We were just discussing your friend Hagrid," Malfoy said to Ron. "Just trying to imagine what he's saying to the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures. D'you think he'll cry when they cut off his hippogriff's—"

SPLAT.

Malfoy's head jerked forward as the mud hit him; his silver-blond hair was suddenly dripping in muck.

"What the—?"

Ron had to hold onto the fence to keep himself standing, he was laughing so hard. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle spun stupidly on the spot, staring wildly around, Malfoy trying to wipe his hair clean.

"What was that? Who did that?"

"Very haunted up here, isn't it?" said Ron, with the air of one commenting on the weather.

Crabbe and Goyle were looking scared. Their bulging muscles were no use against ghosts. Malfoy was staring madly around at the deserted landscape.

"Allow me." Rohini said, waving her hand to make three mudballs levitate that she then send right into the Slytherins' face.

Goyle hopped furiously on the spot, trying to rub it out of his small, dull eyes.

"It came from over there!" said Malfoy, wiping his face, and staring at a spot some six feet to the left of the twins.

Crabbe blundered forward, his long arms outstretched like a zombie. Harry dodged around him, picked up a stick, and lobbed it at Crabbe's back. Harry doubled up with silent laughter as Crabbe did a kind of pirouette in midair, trying to see who had thrown it.

As Ron was the only person Crabbe could see, it was Ron he started toward, but Harry stuck out his leg. Crabbe stumbled—and his huge, flat foot caught the hem of Harry's cloak. Harry felt a great tug, then the cloak slid off his face and Rohini barely hold the cloak in time to stop it from revealing themselves completely.

For a split second, Malfoy stared at Harry's face.

"AAARGH!" he yelled, pointing at Harry's head. Then he turned tail and ran, at breakneck speed, back down the hill, Crabbe and Goyle behind him.

"Shit!" Rohini cursed, grabbing Harry and pulling him after her. "We need to go back to the castle before Malfoy can snitch to Professor McGonagall or Professor Dumbledore!"

"See you later," said Harry to Ron, and without another word, they tore back down the path toward Hogsmeade.

"I knew we shouldn't have come back, I knew it!" Rohini was grunting and Harry was wise enough to keep quiet. "If Malfoy tell Dumbledore, we're going to be expelled for sure! Damnit!"

Back into Honeydukes, back down the cellar steps, across the stone floor, through the trapdoor—the twins ran, ran, ran, flat out, along the passage.

"We need to hide the cloak." Rohini said as they reached the stone slide. "If a teacher catches us with it…"

"Ok." Harry said, leaving the cloak where it was. He hid it in a shadowy corner, and then Rohini started to climb. She reached the inside of the witch's hump, tapped it with her wand and hoisted herself out; just as Harry jumped out from behind the statue, they heard quick footsteps approaching.

"Oh oh…" Rohini whispered when she saw who it was.

Snape approached at a swift walk, his black robes swishing, then stopped in front of them with a sufficient sneer.

"So," he said.

There was a look of suppressed triumph about him.

"So what?" Rohini said, trying to sound unimpressed though her heart was beating fast inside her chest.

"Come with me, Potters," said Snape.

Harry and Rohini exchanged a worried glance and followed him downstairs, Harry trying to wipe his hands clean on the inside of his robes without Snape noticing. They walked down the stairs to the dungeons and then into Snape's office.

Harry had been in here only once before, and he had been in very serious trouble then too. Rohini had never came in herself, for she had been hiding outside that time, spying.

Snape had acquired a few more slimy horrible things in jars since last time, all standing on shelves behind his desk, glinting in the firelight and adding to the threatening atmosphere.

"Sit," said Snape.

Harry sat and Rohini did the same, still staring at Snape who, however, remained standing.

"Mr. Malfoy has just been to see me with a strange story, Potters," said Snape.

"Malfoy always have a story to say, Professor." Rohini said and Snape narrowed his eyes.

"He tells me that he was up by the Shrieking Shack when he ran into Weasley—apparently alone."

The twins stayed silent.

"Mr. Malfoy states that he was standing talking to Weasley, when a large amount of mud hit him in the back of the head. How do you think that could have happened?"

"Maybe Mr. Malfoy offended a ghost by his sheer annoying presence, sir?" Rohini said and Harry elbowed her.

"Five points from Ravenclaw. One would think someone in your position wouldn't be so confident, Potter." Snape said before looking to Harry. "Mr. Malfoy then saw an extraordinary apparition. Can you imagine what it might have been, Potter?"

"No," said Harry, now trying to sound innocently curious.

"It was your head, Potter. Floating in midair."

Rohini forced herself to laugh. Harry fainted an innocent concern.

"Maybe he'd better go to Madam Pomfrey," said Harry. "If he's seeing things like—"

"What would your head have been doing in Hogsmeade, Potter?" said Snape softly. "Your head is not allowed in Hogsmeade. No part of your body has permission to be in Hogsmeade."

"I know that," said Harry, striving to keep his face free of guilt or fear. "It sounds like Malfoy's having hallucin—"

"Malfoy is not having hallucinations," snarled Snape, and he bent down, a hand on each arm of the twins' chair, so that their faces were a foot apart. Rohini found it gross, trying to stop breathing the same air as him.

"If your head was in Hogsmeade, so was the rest of you. And I have no doubt your sister was here, too." He added, glancing at Rohini who didn't blink.

"We were just having a walk in the castle. I wasn't aware there was a law against siblings spending time together?" Rohini said.

"Can anyone confirm that?" Snape asked.

"Well, considering all our friends were at Hogsmeade with poor hallucinating Malfoy, I highly doubt it." Rohini pointed out. "Unlike Malfoy, we can't just wish for our friends to appear out of thin air in places they shouldn't be."

Rohini could tell Harry was repressing a smile and she could feel Snape's anger from where she was sitting. He straightened up, looking at them with pinched lips.

"So," he began, "Everyone from the Minister of Magic downward has been trying to keep famous Harry Potter safe from Sirius Black. But famous Harry Potter and his sister are a law unto themselves. Let the ordinary people worry about their safety! Famous Potters go where they wants to, with no thought for the consequences."

"No offense sir, but I highly doubt you care about our safety in the first place." Rohini couldn't help but say.

Harry stayed silent and silently ordered her to do the same with a meaningful glance. Rohini nodded before looking back at Snape. A nasty smile grew on his ugly face and she didn't like it in the slightest.

"How extraordinarily like your father you are, Potters," Snape said suddenly, his eyes glinting. "He too was exceedingly arrogant. A small amount of talent on the Quidditch field made him think he was a cut above the rest of us too. Strutting around the place with his friends and admirers… The resemblance between you is uncanny."

"My dad didn't strut," said Harry, before he could stop himself. "And neither do we."

"Your father didn't set much store by rules either," Snape went on, pressing his advantage, his thin face full of malice. "Rules were for lesser mortals, not Quidditch Cup-winners. His head was so swollen—"

"SHUT UP!" Harry yelled angrily as he stood up, and Rohini herself resisted the urge to grab her wand, staring at Snape with a burning rage inside her.

Snape's face had gone rigid, the black eyes flashing dangerously.

"What did you say to me, Potter?"

"He told you to shut your fifthly mouth up, you greasy snake." Rohini said, standing next to her brother. "You're just jealous of our dad, aren't you? Because at least people loved him, and everybody despise you."

Snape's sallow skin had gone the colour of sour milk and his yellowish teeth were bared. Rohini didn't miss the way his right hand rested on his pocket, where his wand probably was. Would he dare attacks his students? She almost wished he did, so he would be fired for good.

"Your father wasn't the glorious hero you seem to think he was." Snape said between his clenched lips. "He was nothing else but a little disrespectful little git, just like you two."

"And yet mum married him. I wonder why, if he was so awful." Rohini said and this time, Snape took a step closer, looking ready to murder her on spot. Harry stood up between them. A moment passed, tension so thick one could cut it with a butter knife.

"Turn out your pockets, Potter!" Snape spat suddenly.

Harry didn't move. There was a pounding in his ears.

"Turn out your pockets, or we go straight to the headmaster! Pull them out, Potter!"

Cold with dread, Harry slowly pulled out the bag of Zonko's tricks that had probably created an obvious bulge in his pockets.

Snap picked up the Zonko's bag.

"Ron gave them to me," said Harry, praying he'd get a chance to tip Ron off before Snape saw him. "He—brought them back from Hogsmeade last time—"

"Indeed? And you've been carrying them around ever since? How very touching… Your turn, Potter." Snape said to Rohini.

Keeping eye contact, Rohini took off her wand and the map out of her pockets.

"And what is this?"

Snape had picked up the map. Rohini glanced at Harry and mouthed "It's ok." before looking back at Snape.

"Spare bit of parchment," She said, sounding almost bored. "Always come in handy when I found myself writing too long essays."

Snape turned it over, his eyes on the twins.

"Surely you don't need such a very old piece of parchment?" he said. "Why don't I just—throw this away?"

His hand moved toward the fire.

"No!" Harry said quickly.

"Do that and I will go see Professor Dumbledore and tell him that you're purposely destroying students' belongings." Rohini said. "I'm not sure he would take it very well."

Harry blinked. Snape's eyes gleamed. Rohini didn't move, though her heart was beating faster than a Firebolt.

Without a word, Snape took out his wand and smoothed the map out on his desk. "Reveal your secret!" he said, touching the wand to the parchment.

Nothing happened. Harry clenched his hands to stop them from shaking and Rohini rested her hand on his forearm.

"Show yourself!" Snape said, tapping the map sharply.

It stayed blank. The twins were taking deep, calming breaths.

"Professor Severus Snape, master of this school, commands you to yield the information you conceal!" Snape said, hitting the map with his wand.

As though an invisible hand were writing upon it, words appeared on the smooth surface of the map. Curious, the twins leaned closer.

 _Mr. Moony presents his compliments to Professor Snape, and begs him to keep his abnormally large nose out of other people's business._

 _Mr. Prongs agrees with Mr. Moony, and would like to add that Professor Snape is an ugly git._

 _Mr. Padfoot would like to register his astonishment that an idiot like that ever became a professor._

 _Mr. Wormtail bids, Professor Snape good day, and advises him to wash his hair, the slimeball._

Rohini pinched her lips, trying not to smile. As for Harry, he was closing in eyes in despair,waiting for the blow to fall.

"So…," said Snape softly. "We'll see about this…"

He strode across to his fire, seized a fistful of glittering powder from a jar on the fireplace, and threw it into the flames.

"Lupin!" Snape called into the fire. "I want a word!"

Utterly bewildered, the twins stared at the fire. A large shape had appeared in it, revolving very fast. Seconds later, Professor Lupin was clambering out of the fireplace, brushing ash off his shabby robes.

That wasn't a development Rohini had expected. And judging by Harry's face, neither did he.

"You called, Severus?" said Lupin mildly.

"I certainly did," said Snape, his face contorted with fury as he strode back to his desk. "I have just asked Potter to empty her pockets. She was carrying this."

Snape pointed at the parchment, on which the words of Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs were still shining. An odd, closed expression appeared on Lupin's face.

"Well?" said Snape.

Lupin continued to stare at the map. Lupin was obviously doing some very quick thinking. Once again, Rohini felt like she was missing something elemental, but couldn't point out what exactly.

"Well?" said Snape again. "This parchment is plainly full of Dark Magic. This is supposed to be your area of expertise, Lupin. Where do you imagine Potter got such a thing?"

Lupin looked up and, by the merest half-glance in the twins' direction, warned them not to interrupt.

"Full of Dark Magic?" he repeated mildly. "Do you really think so, Severus? It looks to me as though it is merely a piece of parchment that insults anybody who reads it. Childish, but surely not dangerous? I imagine Rohini got it from a joke shop—"

"Indeed?" said Snape. His jaw had gone rigid with anger. "You think a joke shop could supply him with such a thing? You don't think it more likely that he got it directly from the manufacturers?"

"You mean, by Mr. Wormtail or one of these people?" Lupin said. "Harry, Rohini, do you know any of these men?"

"Of course not." Rohini said. "I thought it was just a piece of old parchment until Professor Snape used it."

"You see, Severus?" said Lupin, turning back to Snape. "It looks like a Zonko product to me—"

Right on cue, Ron came bursting into the office. He was completely out of breath, and stopped just short of Snape's desk, clutching the stitch in his chest and trying to speak.

"I—gave—Harry—that—stuff," he choked. "Bought—it… in Zonko's… ages—ago…"

"Well!" said Lupin, clapping his hands together and looking around cheerfully. "That seems to clear that up! Severus, I'll take this back, shall I?" He folded the map and tucked it inside his robes. "Harry, Ron, Rohini come with me, I need a word about my vampire essay—excuse us, Severus—"

Rohini glanced back at Snape as they left his office and almost feared he would have cast a spell at them before the door closed behind them.

They walked all the way back into the entrance hall before speaking. Then Harry turned to Lupin.

"Professor, I—"

"I don't want to hear explanations," said Lupin shortly. He glanced around the empty entrance hall and lowered his voice. "I happen to know that this map was confiscated by Mr. Filch many years ago. Yes, I know it's a map," he said as the twins and Ron looked amazed.

"I don't want to know how it fell into your possession. I am, however, astounded that you didn't hand it in. Particularly after what happened the last time a student left information about the castle lying around. And I can't let you have it back."

"Professor…" Rohini said, realising something. "If you knew it was a map, then surely you knew its original owners; you need a specific sentence to make it works and I'm sure it's not something known by the majority."

Lupin hesitated.

"We've met," he said shortly. He was looking at them more seriously than ever before.

"Don't expect me to cover up for you again. I cannot make you take Sirius Black seriously. But I would have thought that what you have heard when the Dementors draw near you would have had more of an effect on you. Your parents gave their lives to keep you alive, Harry, Rohini. A poor way to repay them—gambling their sacrifice for a bag of magic tricks."

Rohini said nothing, feeling as if Lupin had slapped her in the face. He was right, of course, but putting it into such harsh words had been a low blow. Lupin walked away, leaving the twins feeling worse by far than they had at any point in Snape's office.

"It's my fault," said Ron abruptly. "I persuaded you to go. Lupin's right, it was stupid, we shouldn't've done it—"

He broke off; Hermione was walking toward them. One look at her face convinced them that she had heard what had happened.

"Come to have a good gloat?" said Ron savagely as she stopped in front of them. "Or have you just been to tell on us?"

"Ron!" Rohini scolded him. "Hermione, what's wrong?" She asked as Hermione began to sob. She was holding a letter in her hands and her lip was trembling.

"I just thought you ought to know… Hagrid lost his case. Buckbeak is going to be executed."

Rohini wept, covering her mouth with a shaking hand at the horrible news.

It was by far one of the worst days in the twins' lives.


	17. Chapter 17

One way to describe how Rohini felt was disconnected. She barely register Hermione hugging Ron after he forgave her for Scabbers' death, didn't notice the boys promising Hermione to help with the appeal and even Padma was barely able to get anything from her until two days later.

"Rohini, you need to eat." She told her during lunch, exchanging a worried look with Luna who was putting food into Rohini's empty plate. "It's not your fault; if anybody is guilty, it's Malfoy."

"I should have work on it better." Rohini said, shaking her head. "If I had spent less time on my personal training or if I had studied different cases harder, maybe Buckbeak would have been saved."

"You can't save everyone." Luna said softly but firmly. "You did the best you could. I'm sure Hagrid don't hold you responsible for it."

"Luna's right." They heard Ginny said as she stood behind Luna. "I heard Hagrid speak with Hermione during breakfast. He's very grateful for your help and is pretty sure that if it hadn't been for Malfoy, then he would have been proven innocent."

"Thanks, guys." Rohini said, smiling weakly.

"Also, Hermione punched Malfoy earlier." Ginny said with a proud grin. "Ron was telling the whole House about it. He tried to make fun of Hagrid and bam! Hermione punched him. If it wasn't for Harry and Ron, she would have probably turn him into a ferret."

"Good." Rohini said, glancing at the Slytherin table were Malfoy were looking grim. "I'd love to have done it myself."

"I have no doubt about it." Padma said, grinning. "What classes do you have next?" She then asked Ginny and Luna.

"DADA. I really like Professor Lupin's way of teaching." Ginny said and her friends nodded, except for Rohini who remembered the last time she had spoken to their teacher. Was Lupin still angry at her and Harry? Was he going to stop training them?

"Rohini?" Padma said with a frown, clapping her fingers under her nose. Rohini blinked and looked at her best friend. "You really need a break or you will not survive the stress of the exams."

"I'm fine." Rohini sighed. "Besides, I'm supposed to be stressed; you predicted it back in our first Divination class, remember?"

"Oh, right." Padma said. "But I didn't say it should last. So hurry to feel better soon, silly." Padma told her, a hand on Rohini's arm. Then, she stood up and go talk to her sister at the Gryffindor table.

"She is right." Ginny said, taking Padma's place and eating the untouched toast left in her plate. "It's ok if you don't feel good, but don't forget you can rely on us, too."

"Thanks." Rohini said, hugging her two friends.

They were right, of course. Rohini knew she tended to put too much pressure and guilt over herself but it was in her nature. Didn't mean she couldn't fight it, though. Feeling slightly better, she finished her meal and announced she was going to the library.

The Easter holidays were soon upon them but were not exactly relaxing. The third years had never had so much homework. The Ravenclaws had invaded the Common Room and the Library, mostly complaining about the subjects they didn't want to study and those they were pretty sure wouldn't fall at the exams anyway but still needed to be studied just in case.

"Do you think there's a way to brainwash the teachers into giving us an easy subject?" Zachariah asked and they all spend the next hour trying to figure out a way to do so.

But nobody had as much to do as Hermione. Even without Divination that she had finally dropped, she was taking more subjects than anybody else. She had shadows like Lupin's under her eyes, and seemed constantly close to tears. Rohini was now carrying tissues with her all the time, in case of a breakdown.

Ron had taken over responsibility for Buckbeak's appeal and began to spend his free time researching some way to help Hagrid with the appeal. Moved by his sudden determination, Ginny had decided to help him and the two siblings could be often seen sitting in the library with a serious expression on their faces.

Harry, meanwhile, was putting all his energy into Quidditch practice. The Gryffindor-Slytherin match would take place on the first Saturday after the Easter holidays. Slytherin was leading the tournament and Wood was hopeful they could still beat them, which means intense hours of practice every week. When Harry had no time left to finish his homework, Rohini would do it for him.

Never, in anyone's memory, had a match approached in such a highly charged atmosphere. By the time the holidays were over, tension between the two teams and their Houses was at the breaking point. A number of small scuffles broke out in the corridors, culminating in a nasty incident in which a Gryffindor fourth year and a Slytherin sixth year ended up in the hospital wing with leeks sprouting out of their ears.

Harry was having a particularly bad time of it. He couldn't walk to class without Slytherins sticking out their legs and trying to trip him up; Crabbe and Goyle kept popping up wherever he went, and slouching away looking disappointed when they saw him surrounded by people or by Rohini whose angry gaze was enough to dissuade anyone from attacking her brother.

Nobody had forgotten how a Slytherin girl had ended up hiding for a whole day after Rohini had given her a pig tail (courtesy of Hagrid, who had taught this spell to her the previous year).

Rohini was too stressed to fall asleep that night and the fact that Thranduil had mysteriously disappeared didn't help. A Ravenclaw girl admitted he might have gotten out when she and her friends had left the dorm earlier and Rohini couldn't help but fear something had happened to her cat.

Shifting in her bed, she grunted and kicked the blanket away before standing up and looking at the castle's ground through the window.

No breath of wind disturbed the treetops in the Forbidden Forest; the Whomping Willow was motionless and innocent-looking. She thought about the Dementors, probably hidden in the darkness, hoping to kiss the students' souls away.

She thought she saw something move outside and with a frown, she picked up her glasses and Padma's binnacles and gasped when she recognised Thranduil and Crookshanks. Her confusion only grew up when a gigantic, shaggy black dog, moved stealthily across the lawn to join them.

For a second, Rohini feared he was going to attack the two cats but the three animals only sat together, not looking remotely scared or hostile towards the newcomer.

Rohini was glad Thranduil was alive but she wished she could go outside to pick him up. She suddenly remembered that Harry had left his Indivisibility Cloak inside the statue and after thinking about the consequences if she was being caught, Rohini decided to go pick it up.

Years of practice at Private Drive had made her quite light on her feet and quite luckily she managed to pick up their father's cloak without being spotted. The night was cold and the grass slightly wet under her naked feet.

She could feel her heartbeats getting faster as she nervously looked around, remembering what Dumbledore had said about Dementors being able to spot people even with an Invisibility Cloak. Thankfully for her, they were currently patrolling on the other side of the castle.

"Thranduil!" Rohini called, looking for her cat. "Thranduil!"

She heard a cat mewing on her left and she went after the sound, barely able to see anything since she refused to use the Lumos spell and catch someone's attention.

"Thranduil?" She asked, feeling her skin getting covered in goosebumps. "You here?"

And then, she spotted him. Sighing, she picked him up and called him an idiot for running away when she heard something else hiding in the bushes. Gulping, she slowly turned her face and froze when she saw the giant dog from earlier coming out of the shadows, his eyes and fangs glowing.

"Oh no…" Rohini wept, taking a step aback. Even with the cloak hiding her, she knew animals could still feel and smell her presence. "Oh no, no, no…" She repeated before beginning to run away. She didn't dare to look behind as the dog began to chase after her.

"Stay away!" She yelled, Thranduil under one arm and holding the cloak with the other. "Sit! Bad dog, Bad dog!" She yelped, feeling that the dog was getting closer. His strong jaw suddenly closed on the cloak and Rohini tripped, almost crushing Thranduil in the process.

Her cat hissed and ran towards the castle and Rohini stared helplessly as the dog let go of the cloak and stared at her, breathing loudly. It was so terrifying that Rohini felt her blood turn cold. But then, she began to hear the distant voice of her mum and she realised in horror that one of the Dementors had left the group and was floating closer to her.

Rohini was blemish now. She hadn't practice the Patronus Charm since the latest class with Lupin but she didn't want to get her soul taken away by the dark creature. She grabbed her wand and got ready to cast the spell when the dog jumped between her and the Dementor and began to bark furiously at it, grabbing the long ragged cloak.

Blinking, Rohini realised the beast was somehow buying her some time and so she jumped on her feet, hid under the Invisibility Cloak once again, and ran towards the castle as fast as she could, knowing her life could literally depends on it.

She didn't stop until she was safe inside the dorm, hiding under her blanket that felt way too warm after such an adrenaline rush. She could still hear the dog bark in the distance for five more minutes before an eerie silence fell again on Hogwarts' grounds.

Was the beast dead? Could Dementors kill animals? And was Thranduil safe?

Rohini didn't slept that night, angry at herself for putting her life in danger so easily. It's with puffy eyes and shadows under them that she entered the Great Hall the next day before anybody else. She forced a smile on her face when Padma and Luna sit next to her with worried looks and lied to them, pretending she had been too stressed about their upcoming exams to sleep.

A few minutes later, Harry and the rest of the Gryffindor team entered the Great Hall the next day to enormous applause; most Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws were siding with the Gryffindors for the last match of the year. As they left the Great Hall, everyone applauded again.

"Good luck, Harry!" called Cho and Rohini didn't miss the way her brother blushed.

"I'm jealous…" Rohini sighed and Luna patted her arm with an amused smile. Padma gave them a confused look before taking a look at her watch.

"We should go now if we want to have a good seat."

"Yeah, let's go." Rohini agreed and they left, meeting up with Ginny halfway to the stadium. She gave them little Gryffindor flags and a banner drew three years ago by Dean Tomas and Seamus Finnigan.

The seats were already half taken when they arrived and Rohini began to nibble her nails nervously. Finally, the two teams walked out onto the field to a tidal wave of noise. Three-quarters of the crowd was wearing scarlet rosettes, waving scarlet flags with the Gryffindor lion upon them, or brandishing banners with slogans like "GO GRYFFINDOR!" and "LIONS FOR THE CUP!"

"And here are the Gryffindors!" yelled Lee Jordan, who was acting as commentator as usual. "Potter, Bell, Johnson, Spinnet, Weasley, Weasley, and Wood. Widely acknowledged as the best team Hogwarts has seen in a good few years—"

Lee's comments were drowned by a tide of "boos" from the Slytherin end, themselves drowned in loud cheers.

"And here come the Slytherin team, led by Captain Flint. He's made some changes in the lineup and seems to be going for size rather than skill—"

More boos from the Slytherin crowd. Lee had a point; Malfoy was easily the smallest person on the Slytherin team; the rest of them were enormous. Rohini looked like a dwarf next to them.

"Captains, shake hands!" said Madam Hooch.

Flint and Wood approached each other and grasped each other's hand very tightly; it looked as though each was trying to break the other's fingers.

"Outch." Rohini grimaced, absently touching her own fingers.

"Mount your brooms!" said Madam Hooch. "Three… two… one…"

The sound of her whistle was lost in the roar from the crowd as fourteen brooms rose into the air.

"And it's Gryffindor in possession, Alicia Spinnet of Gryffindor with the Quaffle, heading straight for the Slytherin goal posts, looking good, Alicia! Argh, no—Quaffle intercepted by Warrington, Warrington of Slytherin tearing up the field—WHAM!—nice Bludger work there by George Weasley, Warrington drops the Quaffle, it's caught by—Johnson, Gryffindor back in possession, come on, Angelina—nice swerve around Montague—duck, Angelina, that's a Bludger!—SHE SCORES! TEN—ZERO TO GRYFFINDOR!"

Angelina punched the air as she soared around the end of the field; the sea of scarlet below was screaming its delight—

"OUCH!"

Angelina was nearly thrown from her broom as Marcus Flint went smashing into her.

"Sorry!" said Flint as the crowd below booed. "Sorry, didn't see her!"

A moment later, Fred Weasley chucked his Beater's club at the back of Flint's head. Flint's nose smashed into the handle of his broom and began to bleed. Rohini closed her eyes and grimaced. She wasn't so fond of violence for violence, but the Slytherin's captain had seen it coming.

"That will do!" shrieked Madam Hooch, zooming between them. "Penalty shot to Gryffindor for an unprovoked attack on their Chaser! Penalty shot to Slytherin for deliberate damage to their Chaser!"

"Come off it, Miss!" howled Fred, but Madam Hooch blew her whistle and Alicia flew forward to take the penalty.

"Come on, Alicia!" yelled Lee into the silence that had descended on the crowd. "YES! SHE'S BEATEN THE KEEPER! TWENTY—ZERO TO GRYFFINDOR!"

"'Course, Wood's a superb Keeper!" Lee Jordan told the crowd as Flint waited for Madam Hooch's whistle. "Superb! Very difficult to pass—very difficult indeed—YES! I DON'T BELIEVE IT! HE'S SAVED IT!"

And the match went on, Gryffindors leading.

"What is Harry waiting for? He usually catches the Snitch pretty fast." Rohini said and Ginny, who had decided to stay with her friend, explained Gryffindors needed to score a certain amount of points first to win the cup.

The crowd roared furiously as Malfoy suddenly grabbed hold of the Firebolt's tail, and was pulling it back to restrain Harry from catching the Snitch.

"This little B-" Rohini roared, Padma and Luna trying to calm her down as Ginny shook her fist at the Slytherin's seeker.

"Penalty! Penalty to Gryffindor! I've never seen such tactics!" Madam Hooch screeched, shooting up to where Malfoy was sliding back onto his Nimbus Two Thousand and One.

"YOU CHEATING SCUM!" Lee Jordan was howling into the megaphone, dancing out of Professor McGonagall's reach. "YOU FILTHY, CHEATING B—"

Professor McGonagall didn't even bother to tell him off. She was actually shaking her finger in Malfoy's direction, her hat had fallen off, and she too was shouting furiously.

The match kept going for five more minutes when suddenly Harry and Malfoy began to dive fast; they had spotted the Snitch!

"GO, GO, GRYFFINDOR, GO, GO, GRYFFINDOR!"

Rohini was shaking, adrenaline rushing inside her veins as Harry threw himself forward, taking both hands off his broom. He knocked Malfoy's arm out of the way and—

"YES!"

He pulled out of his dive, his hand in the air, and the stadium exploded. Harry soared above the crowd, an odd ringing in his ears. The tiny golden ball was held tight in his fist, beating its wings hopelessly against his fingers.

Rohini was now yelling and hugging her friends while jumping excitingly, proud tears in her eyes. Tangled together in a many-armed hug, the Gryffindor team sank, yelling hoarsely, back to earth. Rohini and Ginny were faster than the rest and were the first one colliding with the team, giving them loud kisses on the cheeks and hugging their brothers proudly.

Wave upon wave of crimson supporters was pouring over the barriers onto the field. The Gryffindor team was hoisted onto the shoulders of the crowd. There was Percy, jumping up and down like a maniac, all dignity forgotten. Professor McGonagall was sobbing harder even than Wood, wiping her eyes with an enormous Gryffindor flag; the twins' friends made their way across the crowd to hug Harry and the Weasley twins.

Words failed them. They simply beamed as Harry was borne toward the stands, where Dumbledore stood waiting with the enormous Quidditch Cup. As a sobbing Wood passed Harry the Cup, as he lifted it into the air, Rohini could tell that her brother had never felt happier than on this instant.


	18. Chapter 18

The Gryffindors' euphoria at finally winning the Quidditch Cup lasted at least a week. Even the weather seemed to be celebrating; as June approached, the days became cloudless and sultry and it was almost maddening; they wanted nothing more than to run outside and lay in the grass, but they couldn't.

Exams were nearly upon them, and instead of lazing around outside, the students were forced to remain inside the castle, trying to bully their brains into concentrating while enticing wafts of summer air drifted in through the windows.

Rohini was so stressed she wasn't eating enough and felt quite ashamed when she fainted during a Charm lesson after spending breakfast studying instead of eating. Everybody was quite edgy and it was pretty common to hear Ravenclaws shouting at each other for no reasons. Rohini had begun to avoid the Common Room and the overcrowded Library, using the History of Magic's empty classroom when it Professor Binns wasn't here.

Professor McGonagall had refused to train her until the exams weren't over, arguing that Rohini had enough work as it was. She hadn't dared to ask Professor Lupin to train her, worried he was still upset at them.

Cherry topping the cake, Buckbeak's appeal was taking place at Hogwarts on the last day of exam and the executioner will be attending it too, which didn't left much to the imagination about how biased the trial was.

Exam week began and an unnatural hush fell over the castle. The third years emerged from Transfiguration at lunchtime on Monday, limp and ashen-faced, comparing results and bemoaning the difficulty of the tasks they had been set, which had included turning a teapot into a tortoise. Rohini wasn't worried about this exam for her tortoise had looked perfectly normal, unlike some of her friends.

"Mine still had a spout for a tail, what a nightmare…"

"Were the tortoises supposed to breathe steam?"

"It still had a willow-patterned shell, d'you think that'll count against me?"

Then, after a hasty lunch, it was straight back upstairs for the Charms exam. Hermione had been right; Professor Flitwick did indeed test them on Cheering Charms. Rohini found herseld laughing hysterically for two minutes after Padma overdid it but they were both still pleased with their results.

After dinner, the students hurried back to their common rooms, not to relax, but to start studying for Care of Magical Creatures, Potions, and Astronomy. The Ravenclaws decided to turn it into a bit of fun and made up teams to play a game of "who will get the correct answer faster". It helped them to relax and it's feeling less anxious that they all went to bed.

Hagrid presided over the Care of Magical Creatures exam the following morning with a very preoccupied air indeed; his heart didn't seem to be in it at all. He had provided a large tub of fresh flobberworms for the class, and told them that to pass the test, their flobberworm had to still be alive at the end of one hour.

As flobberworms flourished best if left to their own devices, it was the easiest exam any of them had ever taken, and also gave the twins and their friends plenty of opportunity to speak to Hagrid.

"Beaky's gettin' a bit depressed," Hagrid told them, bending low on the pretense of checking that Harry's flobberworm was still alive. "Bin cooped up too long. But still… we'll know day after tomorrow—one way or the other—"

They had Potions that afternoon, which was an unqualified disaster for half the students. Try as Harry might, he couldn't get his Confusing Concoction to thicken, and Snape, standing watch with an air of vindictive pleasure, scribbled something that looked suspiciously like a zero onto his notes before moving away.

He didn't have this satisfaction with Rohini and Padma however for the girls had followed Rohini's journal instructions they had memorised and their potions, if not perfect, weren't too bad either.

Then came Astronomy at midnight, up on the tallest tower; History of Magic on Wednesday morning, in which the twins scribbled everything Florean Fortescue had ever told them about medieval witch-hunts, while wishing they could have had one of Fortescue's choco-nut sundaes with them in the stifling classroom.

Wednesday afternoon meant Herbology, in the greenhouses under a baking-hot sun; then back to the common room once more, with sunburnt necks, thinking longingly of this time next day, when it would all be over.

Their second to last exam, on Thursday morning, was Defense Against the Dark Arts. Professor Lupin had compiled the most unusual exam any of them had ever taken; a sort of obstacle course outside in the sun, where they had to wade across a deep paddling pool containing a grindylow, cross a series of potholes full of Red Caps, squish their way across a patch of marsh while ignoring misleading directions from a hinkypunk, then climb into an old trunk and battle with a new boggart.

Before Rohini could get inside the trunk however, Professor Lupin waved at her to come closer.

"Considering your condition, you don't have to go and face it." He told Rohini. "Your fear isn't something a Riddikulus spell or a Patronus can fight, I'm afraid."

"It's ok." Rohini said. "I- I want to face it."

"Alright." Lupin nodded before opening the trunk for her. "Good luck, Rohini."

"Thanks." Rohini said, gulping.

Rohini climbed inside the trunk and looked around; it looked just like the staffroom, except the Boggart was hiding in a cupboard this time. Taking a deep breath, Rohini grabbed her wand and took a step closer.

The door opened and Lily Potter got out, a sad smile on her lips.

"Hi, mum." Rohini said and Lily raised a hand towards her daughter, her familiar green eyes filled with tears. But before she could say anything, a flash of green blinded Rohini as her mother screamed like a banshee.

But this time, Rohini didn't cry. Instead, she walked closer and wrapped her arms around her mother.

"Goodbye, mum." She said before pushing the Boggart back inside the cupboard and locking the door with a spell.

"Excellent, Rohini," Lupin muttered as Rohini climbed out of the trunk. "It was very brave of you. Full marks."

"Thanks, Professor." Rohini said before lying on the grass and closing her eyes, taking a short and well deserved nap. She was awoken by Harry, Ron and Hermione who pointed at something behind her with a grim expression.

Cornelius Fudge, sweating slightly in his pinstriped cloak, was standing there staring out at the grounds. He started at the sight of the twins.

"Hello there, Harry, Rohini!" he said. "Just had an exam, I expect? Nearly finished?"

"Yes," said Harry. Hermione and Ron, not being on speaking terms with the Minister of Magic, hovered awkwardly in the background.

"Lovely day," said Fudge, casting an eye over the lake. "Pity… pity…"

He sighed deeply and looked down at the twins.

"I'm here on an unpleasant mission, you see. The Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures required a witness to the execution of a mad hippogriff. As I needed to visit Hogwarts to check on the Black situation, I was asked to step in."

"Does that mean the appeal's already happened?" Ron interrupted, stepping forward.

"No, no, it's scheduled for this afternoon," said Fudge, looking curiously at Ron.

"Then you might not have to witness an execution at all!" said Ron stoutly. "The hippogriff might get off!"

"Ron is right." Rohini agreed.

Before Fudge could answer, two wizards came through the castle doors behind him. One was so ancient he appeared to be withering before their very eyes; the other was tall and strapping, with a thin black moustache. They must have been representatives of the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures, because the very old wizard squinted toward Hagrid's cabin and said in a feeble voice, "Dear, dear, I'm getting too old for this… Two o'clock, isn't it, Fudge?"

The black-moustached man was fingering something in his belt; Rohini looked and saw that he was running one broad thumb along the blade of a shining axe. Blemish, she looked away and took a deep breath. Ron opened his mouth to say something, but Hermione nudged him hard in the ribs and jerked her head toward the entrance hall.

"Why'd you stop me?" said Ron angrily as they entered the Great Hall for lunch. "Did you see them? They've even got the axe ready! This isn't justice!"

"Ron, your dad works for the Ministry, you can't go saying things like that to his boss!" said Hermione, but she too looked very upset. "As long as Hagrid keeps his head this time, and argues his case properly, they can't possibly execute Buckbeak…"

"Hagrid is too sensitive for that." Rohini said grimly as they headed inside for lunch. Remembering the axe, Rohini found herself unable to eat the yet tasty looking chicken wings in front of her.

Harry's and Ron's last exam was Divination; Hermione's, Muggle Studies and Rohini's, Ancient Runes.

They walked up the marble staircase together; Hermione left them on the first floor and the twins and Ron proceeded all the way up to the seventh, where many of their class were sitting on the spiral staircase to Professor Trelawney's classroom, trying to cram in a bit of last-minute studying.

"She's seeing us all separately," Neville informed them as they went to sit down next to him. He had his copy of Unfogging the Future open on his lap at the pages devoted to crystal gazing. "Have either of you ever seen anything in a crystal ball?" he asked them unhappily.

"Nope," said Ron in an offhand voice. He kept checking his watch; probably counting down the time until Buckbeak's appeal started.

The line of people outside the classroom shortened very slowly. As each person climbed back down the silver ladder, the rest of the class hissed, "What did she ask? Was it okay?"

But they all refused to say.

"She says the crystal ball's told her that if I tell you, I'll have a horrible accident!" squeaked Neville as he clambered back down the ladder toward Harry and Ron, who had now reached the landing.

"That's convenient," snorted Ron. "You know, I'm starting to think Hermione was right about her"—he jabbed his thumb toward the trapdoor overhead—"she's a right old fraud."

"Yeah," said Harry, looking at his own watch. It was now two o'clock. "Wish she'd hurry up…"

Parvati came back down the ladder glowing with pride.

"She says I've got all the makings of a true Seer," she informed Rohini. "I saw loads of stuff… Well, good luck!"

"Thanks." Rohini said.

"I hope I will be as good as Parvati…" Padma whispered and Rohini assured her she would probably be even better. Padma gave her a small smile and Rohini found herself smiling back.

"Padma Patil," said the familiar, misty voice from over their heads. Padma gulped and climbed the silver ladder under Rohini's encouragements. It didn't take long for Padma to come down, beaming.

"I did great and she said I was just as talented as Parvati!"

"I knew you could do it." Rohini said, giving her friend a hug. "See you later!"

"Good luck." Padma said before disappearing into the staircase.

"Ronald Weasley."

Ron grimaced at the twins and climbed the silver ladder out of sight. Harry and Rohini were now the only persons left to be tested. They sat on the floor and imagined fake predictions to use for the exam until twenty minutes later, Ron's large feet reappeared on the ladder.

"How'd it go?" Harry asked him, standing up.

"Rubbish," said Ron. "Couldn't see a thing, so I made some stuff up. Don't think she was convinced, though…"

"Meet you in the common room," Harry muttered as Professor Trelawney's voice called, "Harry Potter!"

Left alone, Rohini walked to the window and took a deep breath, enjoying the sun on her face. She felt more peaceful now, having the feeling she had did well on her exam. As awful as he was, she was pretty sure Snape wouldn't be able to give her a zero and the thought it was satisfying. She was still bitter about the accident with the map.

Ten minutes passed before Harry got down, looking agitated.

"What's wrong?" Rohini asked and Harry opened his mouth to answer but Rohini was called by Professor Trelawney.

"Tell you later." Harry said and Rohini nodded before climbing up. The tower room was hotter than ever before; the curtains were closed, the fire was alight, and Professor Trelawney sat waiting for her before a large crystal ball.

"Good day, my dear," she said softly. "If you would kindly gaze into the Orb… Take your time, now… then tell me what you see within it…"

Rohini sat and stared at the foggy orb, narrowing her eyes. Once again, she had the nagging feeling she knew something but couldn't point out what yet.

"Well?" Professor Trelawney prompted delicately. "What do you see?"

"A silver orb." Rohini said. "It's trying to tell me something."

"Open your mind to Fate." whispered Professor Trelawney. "Think, now…"

"It's been taunting me for months now." Rohini said, feeling like someone talking to a therapist more than a student passing an exam. "The orb is the moon. And there's someone, a creature with glowing eyes…" She added, remembering her nightmares. "It's dangerous, I think."

"Yes?" Professor Trelawney said, leaning closer. "Can you recognise them?"

Rohini was looking past the crystal ball now. She tried to remember every moment over the year she felt that she had known something. The moon, the creature, Professor Lupin's Boggart, Professor Lupin's absence, the creature… Snape's DADA class.

"Werewolves." Rohini suddenly breathed, eyes opened wide as she repeated louder "Werewolves!"

"Excellent." Professor Trelawney said. "I knew you were more opened to the great art of Divination than your dear broth-" The woman suddenly stopped talking and before Rohini could said anything, she went rigid in her armchair; her eyes were unfocused and her mouth sagging.

"Professor? Are you ok?" Rohini asked.

But Professor Trelawney didn't seem to hear her. Her eyes started to roll and Rohini thought she was having a stroke. Rohini reached for her and Professor Trelawney grabbed her in a surprisingly strong grip.

"The Dark Lord lies alone and friendless, abandoned by his followers. His servant has been chained these twelve years. Tonight, before midnight… the servant will break free and set out to rejoin his master. The Dark Lord will rise again with his servant's aid, greater and more terrible than ever he was. Tonight… before midnight… the servant… will set out… to rejoin… his master…"

Professor Trelawney's head fell forward onto her chest. She made a grunting sort of noise. Then, quite suddenly, Professor Trelawney's head snapped up again.

"I'm so sorry, my dear," she said dreamily, "the heat of the day, you know… I drifted off for a moment…"

Rohini opened her mouth and then closed it, not sure of what to say.

"Is there anything wrong, my dear?"

"No, nothing." Rohini liked. "Can I go?"

"Yes, yes of course." Professor Trelawney said and Rohini didn't wait to take her leave, quite disturbed by what had just happened.

Had she just heard Professor Trelawney make a real prediction? Was it why Harry bad seemed so puzzled earlier, because she had done the same with him?

It bothered her during her whole Runes exam and made her mistranslate a whole sentence. She was on her way back to the Ravenclaw Common Room when she saw Harry, Ron and Hermione heading out with grim faces.

"Buckbeak lost," said Ron weakly. "They're going to execute him at sunset."

"Oh no!" Rohini wept. "We need to go, maybe we can still do something!"

"I doubt it, but we can't let Hagrid alone." Harry said.

"Sunset, though," said Ron, who was staring out the window in a glazed sort of way. "We'd never be allowed…'specially you, Harry…"

Harry sank his head into his hands, thinking.

"Oh, hold on!" Rohini said, going through her bag and taking off her father's cloak. "Here, I picked it back up!"

"Rohini, you're the best." Harry said.

"We can't all stand up under it though." Hermione pointed out. "You guys grew up too much…"

"Let's think about it during Dinner." Rohini said, looking outside. "We still have time before sunset, and it would be suspicious if we're all missing."

"True." Harry admitted.

They went down to dinner with everybody else and Rohini tried to keep a smile on as Padma and Luna spoke about the end of the exams. She pretended she had something to talk about with Harry and joined her brother and friends into an empty classroom.

"So?" Rohini asked. "What are we going to do?"

"Maybe there's a spell to make the cloak slightly bigger?" Ron suggested and Rohini admitted it wasn't a bad idea. She pulled her journal out of her bag and went through it as fast as she could.

"Here, there's a variant of the Engorgio spell." Rohini said, pointing at a messily written spell. Hermione nodded and got her wand out, casting the spell on the cloak. It didn't get much bigger, but it was enough to hide them all.

"See Hermione? I told you this journal would come in handy." Rohini couldn't help but say and Hermione elbowed her with a groan.

Rohini poked her head around the door.

"Okay," she whispered, "Let's go."

Walking very close together so that nobody would see them, they crossed the hall on tiptoe beneath the cloak, then walked down the stone front steps into the grounds. The sun was already sinking behind the Forbidden Forest, gilding the top branches of the trees.

They reached Hagrid's cabin and knocked. He was a minute in answering, and when he did, he looked all around for his visitor, pale-faced and trembling.

"It's us," Harry hissed. "We're wearing the Invisibility Cloak. Let us in and we can take it off."

"Yeh shouldn've come!" Hagrid whispered, but he stood back, and they stepped inside. Hagrid shut the door quickly and Harry pulled off the cloak.

Hagrid was not crying, nor did he throw himself upon their necks. He looked like a man who did not know where he was or what to do. This helplessness was worse to watch than tears.

"Wan' some tea?" he said. His great hands were shaking as he reached for the kettle.

"Allow me." Rohini said, taking the kettle and pouring them a cup of steamy tea each."

"Where's Buckbeak, Hagrid?" said Hermione hesitantly.

"I—I took him outside," said Hagrid, sitting in his armchair. "He's tethered in me pumpkin patch. Thought he oughta see the trees an'—an' smell fresh air—before—"

"Isn't there anything anyone can do, Hagrid?" Harry asked fiercely, sitting down next to him. "Dumbledore-"

"He's tried," said Hagrid. "He's got no power ter overrule the Committee. He told 'em Buckbeak's all right, but they're scared… Yeh know what Lucius Malfoy's like… threatened 'em, I expect… an' the executioner, Macnair, he's an old pal o' Malfoy's… but it'll be quick an' clean… an' I'll be beside him…"

Hagrid swallowed. His eyes were darting all over the cabin as though looking for some shred of hope or comfort.

"The Malfoys really are little shits." Rohini said, forgetting about being polite.

"Dumbledore's gonna come down while it—while it happens. Wrote me this mornin'. Said he wants ter—ter be with me. Great man, Dumbledore…"

Hermione, who had been rummaging in Hagrid's cupboard for a milk jug, let out a small, quickly stifled sob. She straightened up with the new jug in her hands, fighting back tears.

"We'll stay with you too, Hagrid," she began, but Hagrid shook his shaggy head.

"Yeh're ter go back up ter the castle. I told yeh, I don' wan' yeh watchin'. An' yeh shouldn' be down here anyway… If Fudge an' Dumbledore catch yeh out without permission, yeh'll be in big trouble."

Silent tears were now streaming down Hermione's face, but she hid them from Hagrid, bustling around making tea. Rohini stood up next to her to give her a hug when Hermione let out a shriek.

"Ron! I—I don't believe it—it's Scabbers!"

Ron gaped at her.

"What are you talking about?"

Hermione carried the milk jug over to the table and turned it upside down. With a frantic squeak, and much scrambling to get back inside, Scabbers the rat came sliding out onto the table.

"Scabbers!" said Ron blankly. "Scabbers, what are you doing here?"

He grabbed the struggling rat and held him up to the light. Scabbers looked dreadful. He was thinner than ever, large tufts of hair had fallen out leaving wide bald patches, and he writhed in Ron's hands as though desperate to free himself.

"It's okay, Scabbers!" said Ron. "No cats! There's nothing here to hurt you!"

Hagrid suddenly stood up, his eyes fixed on the window. His normally ruddy face had gone the color of parchment.

"They're comin'…"

They whipped around. A group of men was walking down the distant castle steps. In front was Albus Dumbledore, his silver beard gleaming in the dying sun. Next to him trotted Cornelius Fudge. Behind them came the feeble old Committee member and the executioner, Macnair.

"Yeh gotta go," said Hagrid. Every inch of him was trembling. "They mustn' find yeh here… Go now…"

Ron stuffed Scabbers into his pocket and Hermione picked up the cloak.

"I'll let yeh out the back way," said Hagrid.

They followed him to the door into his back garden. Buckbeak was a few yards away, tethered to a tree behind Hagrid's pumpkin patch. He turned his sharp head from side to side and pawed the ground nervously.

"Oh, Bucky." Rohini said, bowing to the Hippogriff before giving him a hug. "I'm so sorry we couldn't save you…"

Hagrid He turned to Harry, Ron, Hermione and Rohini. "Go on," he said. "Get goin'."

But they didn't move.

"Go!" said Hagrid fiercely. "It's bad enough without you lot in trouble an' all!"

They had no choice. As Hermione threw the cloak over them, they heard voices at the front of the cabin. Hagrid looked at the place where they had just vanished from sight.

"Go quick," he said hoarsely. "Don' listen…"

And he strode back into his cabin as someone knocked at the front door.

Slowly, in a kind of horrified trance, they set off silently around Hagrid's house. As they reached the other side, the front door closed with a sharp snap.

"Please, let's hurry," Hermione whispered. "I can't stand it, I can't bear it…"

They started up the sloping lawn toward the castle. The sun was sinking fast now; the sky had turned to a clear, purple-tinged grey, but to the west there was a ruby-red glow.

Ron stopped dead.

"Oh, please, Ron," Hermione began.

"It's Scabbers—he won't—stay put—"

Ron was bent over, trying to keep Scabbers in his pocket, but the rat was going berserk; squeaking madly, twisting and flailing, trying to sink his teeth into Ron's hand.

"Scabbers, it's me, you idiot, it's Ron," Ron hissed.

They heard a door open behind them and men's voices.

"Oh, Ron, please let's move, they're going to do it!" Hermione breathed.

"Okay—Scabbers, stay put—" Ron said. Rohini grunted and grasped the rat so hard it made a squeezing noise.

They walked forward; Harry, like Hermione, was trying not to listen to the rumble of voices behind them.

"Scabbers, shut up, everyone'll hear us—" Ron said.

The rat was squealing wildly, but not loudly enough to cover up the sounds drifting from Hagrid's garden. There was a jumble of indistinct male voices, a silence, and then, without warning, the unmistakable swish and thud of an axe.

Rohini couldn't hold back the tears as she buried her head against Harry's shoulder.

"They did it!" she heard Hermione whispered. "I d—don't believe it—they did it!"

It felt as if a Dementor had took all her happiness away, only leaving grief and sorrow behind.


	19. Chapter 19

Rohini thought the tears will never stop. Her eyes were burning and her nose was running disgustingly. Hermione was in the same state, and the four of them stood up as close as possible to each other, looking away from Hagrid's hut.

Hermione's breathing was shallow and uneven.

"How—could—they?" she choked. "How could they?"

"Come on," said Ron, whose teeth seemed to be chattering.

They set off back toward the castle, eyes red and looking grim. The light was fading fast now. By the time they reached open ground, darkness was settling like a spell around them.

"Scabbers, keep still," Ron hissed, clamping his hand over his chest. The rat was wriggling madly. Ron came to a sudden halt, trying to force Scabbers deeper into his pocket. "What's the matter with you, you stupid rat? Stay still—OUCH! He bit me!"

"Just petrify this godamn rat!" Rohini hissed.

Scabbers was plainly terrified. He was writhing with all his might, trying to break free of Ron's grip.

"What's the matter with him?" Harry asked.

"The cats." Rohini said, pointing at Crookshanks and Thranduil walking towards them. "Thranduil, where have you been?" Rohini asked, picking up her cat who blinked lazily and began to knead her chest.

"Crookshanks!" Hermione moaned. "No, go away, Crookshanks! Go away!"

"Scabbers—NO!"

Too late—the rat had slipped between Ron's clutching fingers, hit the ground, and scampered away. In one bound, Crookshanks sprang after him, and before Harry or Hermione could stop him, Ron had thrown the Invisibility Cloak off himself and pelted away into the darkness.

"Ron!" Hermione moaned.

"Crap." Rohini cursed, giving Thranduil to Hermione before sprinting after Ron for she was the fastest runner of the three. Harry was close behind and Hermione was following, doing her best not to drop Thranduil who was hissing nastily at her.

"Gotcha! Get off, you stinking cat—"

"Ah!" Rohini fell over Ron and Harry followed. The three of them were sprawled on the ground, but Scabbers was back in Ron's pocket at last.

"Come—back under the cloak—" Hermione panted. "Dumbledore—the Minister—they'll be coming back out in a minute—"

But before they could do anything more than blink, they heard the soft pounding of gigantic paws. Something was bounding toward them quickly and Rohini moaned when she recognised the enormous, pale-eyed, jet-black dog from last night.

Harry reached for his wand, but the dog made an enormous leap and the front paws hit him on the chest.

"Harry!" Rohini shouted, taking off her shoes and throwing them at the dog. "Get off him!" She shouted. The dog growled and pounced towards her.

Ron was on his feet. As the dog sprang back toward her, he pushed Rohini aside; the dog's jaws fastened instead around Ron's outstretched arm and was dragged him away as easily as though he were a rag doll.

"RON!" Rohini shouted a second before something large and hard hit her in the face, knocking her off her feet and almost making her unconscious.

Laying on the ground, disoriented and with a bleeding nose, Rohini realised in horror that they were now standing right at the feet of the Whomping Willow.

She heard Harry and Hermione shriek with pain and fall too on her left. They had chased Scabbers into the shadow of the Whomping Willow and its branches were creaking as though in a high wind, whipping backward and forward to stop them going nearer.

And there, at the base of the trunk, was the dog, dragging Ron backward into a large gap in the roots—Ron was fighting furiously, but his head and torso were slipping out of sight—

"Ron!" Harry shouted, trying to follow, but a heavy branch whipped lethally through the air and he was forced backward again.

Ron's legs, which he had hooked around a root in an effort to stop the dog from pulling him farther underground, broke in a terrible crack, and a moment later, his foot vanished from sight.

Taking a deep breath, Rohini leaped on her feet and sprinted towards the gap, pretending she was back in primary school again and the branches were nothing more than Dudley's gang trying to beat her up.

One of the branches almost beheaded her but Rohini jumped right in time into the hole and slid down an earthy slope to the bottom of a very low tunnel. Coughing dirt, Rohini stood up and took her wand out of her pocket.

" _Lumos_." She said before breaking into a new sprint, following Ron's painful screams.

On and on went the passage; it felt at least as long as the one to Honeydukes and Rohini suddenly remembered the Weasley twins mentioning this secret passage to Hogsmeade. Where was it leading? To the post office? Zonko?

She thought she heard Harry and Hermione's voices behind her but she didn't wait for them, too worried about Ron's fate and broken leg. She broke her arm once and knew how painful it could be.

The tunnel began to rise; moments later it twisted and Rohini could see a patch of dim light through a small opening.

It was a room, a very disordered, dusty room. Paper was peeling from the walls; there were stains all over the floor; every piece of furniture was broken as though somebody had smashed it. The windows were all boarded up.

Gulping, Rohini tightened her grip on her wand and got inside. The room was deserted, but a door to her right stood open, leading to a shadowy hallway. Rohini had the feeling she was now inside the infamous Shrieking Shack, only place in Hogsmeade that could look so desolated.

Something moved upstairs. Rohini was reaching the top of the crumbling staircase when she heard a meow; Crookshanks and Thranduil were staring at her from the bottom of the stairs, their eyes glowing.

"You two knew about it, didn't you?" She said with a frown and the cats blinked slowly before coming after her. "I will remember this."

Everything was covered in a thick layer of dust except the floor, where a wide shiny stripe had been made by something being dragged upstairs. Ron.

Rohini didn't see the point of turning the light of her wand off for the dog probably could hear and smell her anyway. She shivered and walked towards the only open door. Something moved downstairs and she knew Harry and Hermione had finally gotten inside.

"Geronimo." Rohini whispered before getting inside. The two cats jumped inside and laid on a magnificent four-poster bed with dusty hangings. On the floor beside them, clutching his leg, which stuck out at a strange angle, was Ron.

"Ron!" Rohini said, kneeling next to him. "Don't move, it will only make it worse." She said before pointing her wand at him. " _Ferula_."

Bandages spun up Ron's leg, strapping it tightly to a splint. Rohini was glad Professor McGonagall had taught it to her during their last personal lesson. Harry and Hermione sprinted inside on this instant and kneeled next to her.

"Ron—are you okay?"

"Where's the dog?"

"Not a dog," Ron moaned. His teeth were gritted with pain. "It's a trap—"

"What—"

"He's the dog… he's an Animagus…"

Ron was staring over Harry's shoulder. The twins wheeled around. With a snap, the man in the shadows closed the door behind them.

A mass of filthy, matted hair hung to his elbows. If eyes hadn't been shining out of the deep, dark sockets, he might have been a corpse. The waxy skin was stretched so tightly over the bones of his face, it looked like a skull. His yellow teeth were bared in a grin. Rohini stood up in front of Harry protectively.

"Sirius Black." She said and the man's grin grew larger. Following her intuition, she suddenly dunked on her left right before Sirius Black croaked " _Expelliarmus_!" ,pointing Ron's wand at them.

Harry's and Hermione's wands shot out of their hands, high in the air, and Black caught them.

" _Protego_!" Rohini yelled as he tried to use the disarming spell on her again. "Wait!" She then shouted, and Black tilted his head, looking at her. "Let's make a deal." She said, thinking fast.

"You can't make a deal with him." Harry spat and Rohini told him to shut up. She hoped she didn't look as terrified as she felt on this instant.

"You-" She began, "you stay where you are. Stay where you are, and I will not attack you." She said, trying to look confident. "I'm serious."

"It would be easier to for me to disarm you." Black said hoarsely, though he didn't move to do so.

"I just want to talk." Rohini said, trying to buy them time; hopefully, Hermione wasn't too shaken to stop thinking, and she believed her friend was smart enough to find a solution.

Black turned to Harry.

"I thought you'd come and help your friend," he said hoarsely. His voice sounded as though he had long since lost the habit of using it. "Your father would have done the same for me. Brave of you, not to run for a teacher. I'm grateful… it will make everything much easier…"

Looking furious, Harry started forward, but Hermione and Ron grabbed him and held him back.

"If you want to kill Harry, you'll have to kill us too!" Ron said fiercely.

"He doesn't want to kill Harry." Rohini said and everybody looked at her. "If he had wanted to do it, he would have done it that night he attacked you, Ron. Even in the dark, nobody can mistake you for Harry with your hair."

"Smart girl." Black said, sounding oddly proud. "You're the first one realising this."

"Doesn't mean I trust you." Rohini said shortly. "You still attacked Ron. Why?"

"Vengeance." Black said, his grin growing wider. Rohini gulped, wondering if it was a sane decision to talk to him. He was still possibly mad, after all.

"You're crazy." Harry said heatedly behind Rohini. "You're a mad man and a murderer!"

"Harry!" Hermione whimpered. "Be quiet!"

"HE KILLED OUR MUM AND DAD!" Harry roared, and with a huge effort he broke free of Hermione's and Ron's restraint and lunged forward but Rohini caught him by the waist, dropping her wand in the process.

"Harry, no!" She grunted.

"Let me go, Rohini!" Harry roared, "I will kill him!"

"No, you will not!" She said, looking helplessly at Hermione who caught Harry's legs and made him trip over.

Panting, Rohini picked her wand up again and turned back to Black whose expression was the most confusing one ever; it was a mix of sorrow, anger, tiredness and fondness.

"Going to kill me, Harry?" he whispered.

"No, he will not." Rohini said again. "I will not let him become a murderer, too."

"He killed our parents," said Harry, his voice shaking slightly, held against the dusty ground by Hermione and Ron who had crawled towards them. "He killed our parents, Rohi. He deserves to die."

"Maybe he does, but not by your hand." Rohini said.

Black stared up at them out of those sunken eyes.

"If you knew the whole story-"

"The whole story?" Harry repeated, furious. "You sold them to Voldemort. That's all I need to know."

"You've got to listen to me," Black said, and there was a note of urgency in his voice now. "You'll regret it if you don't… You don't understand…"

"I understand a lot better than you think," said Harry, and his voice shook more than ever. "You never heard her, did you? My mum… trying to stop Voldemort killing me… and you did that… you did it…"

"Harry." Rohini said and something in her voice made Harry shut up though he was still glaring at Black with a burning wrath. Then, she turned to Black.

"You knew dad. And you knew Lupin, too. You knew about this secret passage. You're an Animagus and Professor Lupin is a werewolf. He also knew about the Marauders' Map. So tell me, which one are you, Sirius Black?"

"What are you talking about, Rohini?" Ron asked. "Professor Lupin, a werewolf?"

"She's right." Hermione said. "I- I've known it for a few months, too."

"You don't mean-" Harry began and Rohini nodded. But before any of them could talk, they heard a new sound; Muffled footsteps were echoing up through the floor—someone was moving downstairs.

"WE'RE UP HERE!" Hermione screamed suddenly. "WE'RE UP HERE—SIRIUS BLACK—QUICK!"

Black made a startled movement, Rohini gripped her wand convulsively but lowered it when Professor Lupin came hurtling into the room, his face bloodless, his wand raised and ready.

His eyes flickered over Ron and Hermione, still holding Harry against the floor, to Harry looking confused, the two cats on the bed, Rohini standing in front of Black and then to Black himself whose grin grew wider again.

"Rohini." Lupin said tensely. "Don't move." Then, to Black, "Where is he, Sirius?"

"Who?" The twins and their friends said at the same time.

Black's face was quite expressionless. For a few seconds, he didn't move at all. Then, very slowly, he raised his empty hand and pointed straight at Ron. Mystified, they all glanced around at Ron, who looked bewildered.

"But then…," Lupin muttered, staring at Black so intently it seemed he was trying to read his mind, "…why hasn't he shown himself before now? Unless-"

Lupin's eyes suddenly widened, as though he was seeing something beyond Black, something none of the rest could see, "—unless he was the one… unless you switched… without telling me?"

Rohini felt like her head was going to explode. In hope to understand the situation, she recalled everything she knew.

Black, Lupin and their father were friends. Black betrayed the Potters. They were the Marauders. But there were four Marauders; Prongs, Padfoot, Moony and…

"Wormtail." Rohini breathed, slowly understanding as Lupin lowered his wand and walked to Black's side before embracing Black tightly.

"I DON'T BELIEVE IT!" Hermione screamed.

Lupin let go of Black and turned to her. She had raised herself off the floor and was pointing at Lupin, wild-eyed. "You—you—"

"Hermione—"

"—you and him!"

"Hermione, calm down—"

"I trusted you," Harry shouted at Lupin, his voice wavering out of control, "and all the time you've been his friend!"

"You're wrong," said Lupin. "I haven't been Sirius's friend, but I am now—Let me explain…"

"NO!" Hermione screamed. "Harry, don't trust him, he's been helping Black get into the castle, he wants you dead too—"

"Hermione, listen-"

"No, you-"

"SHUT UP!" Rohini screamed.

There was a ringing silence. Everyone's eyes were on her. Rohini was breathing loudly, her fists clenched and shaking.

"Rohini-" Lupin began but Rohini waved at him.

"Don't. Let me- Let me talk. Please." She said and Lupin nodded. He and Black were still standing up close. Then, she turned to her brother and her friends. "I- I think they are innocent. Both of them."

"Are you crazy?" Ron shouted, looking at her furiously. "You're siding with a murderer and a werewolf now?"

"Shut up." Rohini repeated. Then, she took a deep breath and began to explain:

"I might have gotten it wrong, but if I'm right then… then Black is just as guilty as you and me." She said, and she glanced at the skinny man behind her who looked at her with surprise and gratitude.

"Explain." Harry said, sitting up though his gaze didn't move from the two men.

"We all know that Dad, Professor Lupin and Black were friends during their Hogwarts day. And I just came to realise that the three of them were probably the first owner of the Marauders' Map. Am I right, Professor?" She asked Lupin who nodded.

"Moony is Professor Lupin, for quite an obvious reason now. I'm sorry about it, Professor." Rohini said before pointing at Black. "You must have been Padfoot because your Animagus form is a dog. I don't know about dad, but let's suppose he was Prongs. You were dad's best friend, and they decided to make you their Secret Keeper. Thus, you betrayed them and told the location of their home to Lord Voldemort, leading to their murder."

"So he did it after all!" Ron said and Hermione shushed him. Rohini shook her head.

"No, he didn't. He just admitted it to Professor Lupin; the Secret Keeper _changed_." Rohini said, glancing at Black again who nodded before continuing, "There's someone missing in this story, don't you think? There were four Marauders. _Four_. Yet, nobody had talk about Wormtail yet."

"This traitor-"Black spat and Lupin waved at him to calm down. "You need to believe me, Harry." He then said, looking at Harry with pleading eyes.

"Why would I?" Harry said.

"Because I do." Rohini answered and the twins looked at each other. Then, Rohini turned to Ron. "Ron, Scabbers is quite old, isn't he?"

"So what?" Ron said, bringing a protective hand over his pocket. Hermione gasped and Rohini thought she might have understood her point.

"The lady from the pet shop said rats normally don't live for so long." Hermione said. "Unless-"

"Unless Scabbers isn't really a rat." Rohini said. "Unless he's someone who pretends to be one."

"An Animagus." Hermione breathed.

"Wormtail." Harry finished.

"Or as he was mourned, Peter Pettigrew." Lupin said. "Our friend that was taken for dead years ago, murdered with other unfortunate Muggles by Sirius Black. Everyone thought Sirius killed Peter," Lupin explained, "I believed it myself—until I saw the map tonight. Because the Marauder's map never lies… Peter's alive and Ron is holding him."

"But-" Hermione said, frowning, "He wasn't written on the Animagi register. Neither are Black or Harry's dad."

"Unlike Rohini, they decided to learn on their own." Professor Lupin said, half smiling.

"What?" Hermione, Harry and Ron said at the same time, turning to Rohini.

"Hardly important." Rohini said. "What really matter is-"

"-Is to arrest Sirius Black and his acolyte, Professor Lupin."

They all jumped and turned to look at Snape who was standing at the doorstep, his wand pointed at them.

Snape was slightly breathless, but his face was full of suppressed triumph. "You're wondering, perhaps, how I knew you were here?" he said, his eyes glittering. "I've just been to your office, Lupin. You forgot to take your potion tonight, so I took a gobletful along. And very lucky I did… lucky for me, I mean. Lying on your desk was a certain map. One glance at it told me all I needed to know. I saw you running along this passageway and out of sight."

"Severus—" Lupin began, but Snape overrode him.

"I've told the headmaster again and again that you're helping your old friend Black into the castle, Lupin, and here's the proof. Not even I dreamed you would have the nerve to use this old place as your hideout—"

"Severus, you're making a mistake," said Lupin urgently. "You haven't heard everything—I can explain—Sirius is not here to kill Harry—"

"Two more for Azkaban tonight," said Snape, his eyes now gleaming fanatically. "I shall be interested to see how Dumbledore takes this… He was quite convinced you were harmless, you know, Lupin… a tame werewolf—"

"You fool," said Lupin softly. "Is a schoolboy grudge worth putting an innocent man back inside Azkaban?"

BANG! Thin, snakelike cords burst from the end of Snape's wand and twisted themselves around Lupin's mouth, wrists, and ankles; he overbalanced and fell to the floor, unable to move. With a roar of rage, Black started toward Snape, but Snape pointed his wand straight between Black's eyes.

"Give me a reason," he whispered. "Give me a reason to do it, and I swear I will."

"If you do that, I will kill you too." Rohini said, pointing her wand at Snape.

The tension was so thick that it was almost suffocating. Nobody moved, staring at each other and holding their breaths.

"Potter." Snape sneered. "Facing suspension and still unable to hold your tongue."

"This isn't a lie." Rohini did lied. "If you do anything, I-"

"KEEP QUIET, YOU STUPID GIRL!" Snape shouted, looking suddenly quite deranged. A few sparks shot out of the end of his wand, which was still pointed at Black's face. Rohini gulped, but didn't lower her wand.

"Vengeance is very sweet," Snape breathed at Black. "How I hoped I would be the one to catch you…"

"The joke's on you again, Severus," Black snarled. "As long as this boy brings his rat up to the castle"—he jerked his head at Ron—"I'll come quietly…"

"Up to the castle?" said Snape silkily. "I don't think we need to go that far. All I have to do is call the Dementors once we get out of the Willow. They'll be very pleased to see you, Black… pleased enough to give you a little kiss, I daresay…"

"You're crazy." Rohini said.

"Enough, Potter." Snape said, his attention going back to Rohini who didn't miss the fact he lowered his wand. "Just like your father, unable to stay away from the spotlight and-"

"you're pathetic!" Harry suddenly yelled. "Just because you're jealous of them and holding a stupid grudge, you won't even liste-"

"SILENCE! I WILL NOT BE SPOKEN TO LIKE THAT!" Snape shrieked, looking madder than ever. "Like father, like son, Potter! I have just saved your neck; you should be thanking me on bended knee! You would have been well served if he'd killed you! You'd have died like your father, too arrogant to believe you might be mistaken in Black—now get out of the way, or I will make you. GET OUT OF THE WAY, POTT-"

Before he could finish, Rohini jumped on him and pushed him hard into the staircase through the open door. She was caught right in time by Black before falling after their Potions teacher who was lying, hopefully unconscious, downstairs.

"Thanks." Rohini said to Black.

Lupin was struggling against his bonds. Black bent down quickly and untied him. Lupin straightened up, rubbing his arms where the ropes had cut into them.

"Thank you, Rohini." he said.

"Let's put an end to this." Rohini said tiredly and they all turned to Ron.

"You, boy—give me Peter, please. Now." Professor Lupin said.

Ron clutched Scabbers closer to his chest.

"Come off it," he said weakly. "Are you trying to say he broke out of Azkaban just to get his hands on Scabbers? I mean…" He looked up at Harry and Hermione for support, "Okay, say Pettigrew could turn into a rat—there are millions of rats—how's he supposed to know which one he's after if he was locked up in Azkaban?"

"You know, Sirius, that's a fair question," said Lupin, turning to Black and frowning slightly. "How did you find out where he was?"

Black put one of his clawlike hands inside his robes and took out a crumpled piece of paper, which he smoothed flat and held out to show the others.

It was the photograph of Ron and his family that had appeared in the Daily Prophet the previous summer, and there, on Ron's shoulder, was Scabbers.

"How did you get this?" Lupin asked Black, thunderstruck.

"Fudge," said Black. "When he came to inspect Azkaban last year, he gave me his paper. And there was Peter, on the front page… on this boy's shoulder… I knew him at once… how many times had I seen him transform? And the caption said the boy would be going back to Hogwarts… to where Harry was…"

"My God," said Lupin softly, staring from Scabbers to the picture in the paper and back again. "His front paw…"

"What about it?" said Ron defiantly.

"He's got a toe missing," said Black.

"Of course," Lupin breathed. "So simple… so brilliant… he cut it off himself?"

"Just before he transformed," said Black. "When I cornered him, he yelled for the whole street to hear that I'd betrayed Lily and James. Then, before I could curse him, he blew apart the street with the wand behind his back, killed everyone within twenty feet of himself—and sped down into the sewer with the other rats…

"Didn't you ever hear?" said Lupin to his students. "The biggest bit of Peter they found was his finger."

"Look, Scabbers probably had a fight with another rat or something! He's been in my family for ages, right—"

"Twelve years, in fact," said Lupin. "Didn't you ever wonder why he was living so long?"

"We—we've been taking good care of him!" said Ron.

"Not looking too good at the moment, though, is he?" said Lupin. "I'd guess he's been losing weight ever since he heard Sirius was on the loose again…"

"He's been scared of that mad cat!" said Ron, nodding toward Crookshanks, who was still purring on the bed.

"This cat isn't mad," said Black hoarsely. He reached out a bony hand and stroked Crookshanks's fluffy head. Thranduil meowed, asking for attention, too. "He's the most intelligent of his kind I've ever met. He recognized Peter for what he was right away. And when he met me, he knew I was no dog. It was a while before he trusted me… Finally, I managed to communicate to him what I was after, and he's been helping me…"

"What do you mean?" breathed Hermione.

"He tried to bring Peter to me, but couldn't… so he stole the passwords into Gryffindor Tower for me… As I understand it, he took them from a boy's bedside table…"

"But Peter got wind of what was going on and ran for it…" croaked Black. "This cat—Crookshanks, did you call him?—told me Peter had left blood on the sheets… I supposed he bit himself… Well, faking his own death had worked once…"

"And now you've come to finish him off!" Ron said, horrified.

"Yes, I have," said Black, with an evil look at Scabbers.

"What I don't understand is, why did you tell us you had killed our parents earlier, if it was Pettigrew's doing?" Rohini asked and Sirius looked down.

"I as good as killed them," he croaked. "I persuaded Lily and James to change to Peter at the last moment, persuaded them to use him as Secret-Keeper instead of me… I'm to blame, I know it… The night they died, I'd arranged to check on Peter, make sure he was still safe, but when I arrived at his hiding place, he'd gone. Yet there was no sign of a struggle. It didn't feel right. I was scared. I set out for your parents' house straight away. And when I saw their house, destroyed, and their bodies… I realized what Peter must've done… what I'd done…"

His voice broke. He turned away.

"Enough of this," said Lupin, and there was a steely note in his voice. "There's one certain way to prove what really happened. Ron, give me that rat."

"What are you going to do with him if I give him to you?" Ron asked Lupin tensely.

"Force him to show himself," said Lupin. "If he really is a rat, it won't hurt him."

Ron hesitated. Then at long last, he held out Scabbers and Lupin took him. Scabbers began to squeak without stopping, twisting and turning, his tiny black eyes bulging in his head.

"Ready, Sirius?" said Lupin.

Black turned to Rohini who gave him her wand without an ounce of hesitation. Even though she had a blank expression on her face, she was boiling inside. It had been too much information for the night, too much despair and anger and she wished to rest and sleep for the next ten years.

Black approached Lupin and the struggling rat, and his wet eyes suddenly seemed to be burning in his face.

"Together?" he said quietly.

"I think so," said Lupin, holding Scabbers tightly in one hand and his wand in the other. "On the count of three. One—two—THREE!"

A flash of blue-white light erupted from both wands; for a moment, Scabbers was frozen in midair, his small gray form twisting madly—Ron yelled—the rat fell and hit the floor. There was another blinding flash of light and then—

It was like watching a speeded-up film of a growing tree. A head was shooting upward from the ground; limbs were sprouting; a moment later, a man was standing where Scabbers had been, cringing and wringing his hands. Crookshanks and Thranduil were spitting and snarling on the bed. Rohini stood up next to Harry and grabbed his hand so tightly it might leave a bruise.

He was a very short man, hardly taller than Rohini and Hermione. His thin, colorless hair was unkempt and there was a large bald patch on top. He had the shrunken appearance of a plump man who has lost a lot of weight in a short time. His skin looked grubby, almost like Scabbers's fur, and something of the rat lingered around his pointed nose and his very small, watery eyes. He looked around at them all, his breathing fast and shallow. Harry saw his eyes dart to the door and back again.

"Well, hello, Peter," said Lupin pleasantly, as though rats frequently erupted into old school friends around him. "Long time, no see."

"S—Sirius… R—Remus…" Even Pettigrew's voice was squeaky. Again, his eyes darted toward the door. "My friends… my old friends…"

Black's wand arm rose, but Lupin seized him around the wrist, gave him a warning look, then turned again to Pettigrew, his voice light and casual.

"We've been having a little chat, Peter, about what happened the night Lily and James died. You might have missed the finer points while you were squeaking around down there on the bed—"

"Remus," gasped Pettigrew, and they could see beads of sweat breaking out over his pasty face, "you don't believe him, do you…? He tried to kill me, Remus…"

"So we've heard," said Lupin, more coldly. "I'd like to clear up one or two little matters with you, Peter, if you'd be so—"

"He's come to try and kill me again!" Pettigrew squeaked suddenly, pointing at Black, and they all saw that he used his middle finger, because his index was missing. "He killed Lily and James and now he's going to kill me too… You've got to help me, Remus…"

Black's face looked more skull-like than ever as he stared at Pettigrew with his fathomless eyes.

"No one's going to try and kill you until we've sorted a few things out," said Lupin.

"Sorted things out?" squealed Pettigrew, looking wildly about him once more, eyes taking in the boarded windows and, again, the only door. "I knew he'd come after me! I knew he'd be back for me! I've been waiting for this for twelve years!"

"You knew Sirius was going to break out of Azkaban?" said Lupin, his brow furrowed. "When nobody has ever done it before?"

"He's got dark powers the rest of us can only dream of!" Pettigrew shouted shrilly. "How else did he get out of there? I suppose He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named taught him a few tricks!"

Black started to laugh, a horrible, mirthless laugh that filled the whole room. Rohini shivered.

"Voldemort, teach me tricks?" he said.

Pettigrew flinched as though Black had brandished a whip at him.

"What, scared to hear your old master's name?" said Black. "I don't blame you, Peter. His lot aren't very happy with you, are they?"

"Don't know what you mean, Sirius—" muttered Pettigrew, his breathing faster than ever. His whole face was shining with sweat now.

"You haven't been hiding from me for twelve years," said Black. "You've been hiding from Voldemort's old supporters. I heard things in Azkaban, Peter… They all think you're dead, or you'd have to answer to them… I've heard them screaming all sorts of things in their sleep. Sounds like they think the double-crosser double-crossed them. Voldemort went to the Potters' on your information… and Voldemort met his downfall there. And not all Voldemort's supporters ended up in Azkaban, did they? There are still plenty out here, biding their time, pretending they've seen the error of their ways… If they ever got wind that you were still alive, Peter—"

"Don't know… what you're talking about…," said Pettigrew again, more shrilly than ever. He wiped his face on his sleeve and looked up at Lupin. "You don't believe this—this madness, Remus—"

"I must admit, Peter, I have difficulty in understanding why an innocent man would want to spend twelve years as a rat," said Lupin evenly.

"Innocent, but scared!" squealed Pettigrew. "If Voldemort's supporters were after me, it was because I put one of their best men in Azkaban—the spy, Sirius Black!"

Black's face contorted.

"How dare you," he growled, sounding suddenly like the bear-sized dog he had been. "I, a spy for Voldemort? When did I ever sneak around people who were stronger and more powerful than myself? But you, Peter—I'll never understand why I didn't see you were the spy from the start. You always liked big friends who'd look after you, didn't you? It used to be us… me and Remus… and James…"

Pettigrew wiped his face again; he was almost panting for breath.

"Me, a spy… must be out of your mind… never… don't know how you can say such a—"

"Lily and James only made you Secret-Keeper because I suggested it," Black hissed, so venomously that Pettigrew took a step backward. "I thought it was the perfect plan… a bluff… Voldemort would be sure to come after me, would never dream they'd use a weak, talentless thing like you… It must have been the finest moment of your miserable life, telling Voldemort you could hand him the Potters."

Pettigrew was muttering distractedly; Harry caught words like "far-fetched" and "lunacy," but he couldn't help paying more attention to the ashen color of Pettigrew's face and the way his eyes continued to dart toward the windows and door.

"Professor Lupin?" said Hermione timidly. "Can—can I say something?"

"Certainly, Hermione," said Lupin courteously.

"Well—Scabbers—I mean, this—this man—he's been sleeping in Harry's dormitory for three years. If he's working for You-Know-Who, how come he never tried to hurt Harry before now?"

"There!" said Pettigrew shrilly, pointing at Ron with his maimed hand. "Thank you! You see, Remus? I have never hurt a hair of Harry's head! Why should I?"

"I'll tell you why," said Black. "Because you never did anything for anyone unless you could see what was in it for you. Voldemort's been in hiding for fifteen years, they say he's half dead. You weren't about to commit murder right under Albus Dumbledore's nose, for a wreck of a wizard who'd lost all of his power, were you? You'd want to be quite sure he was the biggest bully in the playground before you went back to him, wouldn't you? Why else did you find a wizard family to take you in? Keeping an ear out for news, weren't you, Peter? Just in case your old protector regained strength, and it was safe to rejoin him…"

Pettigrew opened his mouth and closed it several times. He seemed to have lost the ability to talk.

"Er—Mr. Black—Sirius?" said Hermione.

Black jumped at being addressed like this and stared at Hermione as though he had never seen anything quite like her.

"If you don't mind me asking, how—how did you get out of Azkaban, if you didn't use Dark Magic?"

"Thank you!" gasped Pettigrew, nodding frantically at her. "Exactly! Precisely what I—"

But Lupin silenced him with a look. Black was frowning slightly at Hermione, but not as though he were annoyed with her. He seemed to be pondering his answer.

"I don't know how I did it," he said slowly. "I think the only reason I never lost my mind is that I knew I was innocent. That wasn't a happy thought, so the Dementors couldn't suck it out of me… but it kept me sane and knowing who I am… helped me keep my powers… so when it all became… too much… I could transform in my cell… become a dog. Dementors can't see, you know…" He swallowed.

"They feel their way toward people by feeding off their emotions… They could tell that my feelings were less—less human, less complex when I was a dog… but they thought, of course, that I was losing my mind like everyone else in there, so it didn't trouble them. But I was weak, very weak, and I had no hope of driving them away from me without a wand…

"But then I saw Peter in that picture… I realized he was at Hogwarts with Harry… perfectly positioned to act, if one hint reached his ears that the Dark Side was gathering strength again…"

Pettigrew was shaking his head, mouthing noiselessly, but staring all the while at Black as though hypnotized.

"…ready to strike at the moment he could be sure of allies… and to deliver the last Potters to them. Because you don't care about Rohini either, right? You don't care about your own goddaughter!" Black spat and it was as if Rohini had been slapped.

"No." She said, shaking her head as she looked at the pitiful man in front of her. "You-"

"Rohini, please, I-" Peter began but Black kept talking.

"So you see, I had to do something. I was the only one who knew Peter was still alive… It was as if someone had lit a fire in my head, and the Dementors couldn't destroy it… It wasn't a happy feeling… it was an obsession… but it gave me strength, it cleared my mind. So, one night when they opened my door to bring food, I slipped past them as a dog… It's so much harder for them to sense animal emotions that they were confused… I was thin, very thin… thin enough to slip through the bars… I swam as a dog back to the mainland… I journeyed north and slipped into the Hogwarts grounds as a dog. I've been living in the forest ever since, except when I came to watch the Quidditch, of course. You fly as well as your father did, Harry…"

He looked at Harry, who did not look away.

"Believe me," croaked Black. "Believe me, Harry, Rohini. I never betrayed James and Lily. I would have died before I betrayed them."

"I believe you." Rohini said, her gaze burning as she glanced at Pettigrew. "I believe you." She repeated. Harry took a deep breath and nodded.

"No!"

Pettigrew had fallen to his knees as though Harry's nod had been his own death sentence. He shuffled forward on his knees, groveling, his hands clasped in front of him as though praying.

"Sirius—it's me… it's Peter… your friend… you wouldn't…"

Black kicked out and Pettigrew recoiled.

"There's enough filth on my robes without you touching them," said Black.

"Remus!" Pettigrew squeaked, turning to Lupin instead, writhing imploringly in front of him. "You don't believe this… wouldn't Sirius have told you they'd changed the plan?"

"Not if he thought I was the spy, Peter," said Lupin. "I assume that's why you didn't tell me, Sirius?" he said casually over Pettigrew's head.

"Forgive me, Remus," said Black.

"Not at all, Padfoot, old friend," said Lupin, who was now rolling up his sleeves. "And will you, in turn, forgive me for believing you were the spy?"

"Of course," said Black, and the ghost of a grin flitted across his gaunt face. He, too, began rolling up his sleeves. "Shall we kill him together?"

"Yes, I think so," said Lupin grimly.

"You wouldn't… you won't…," gasped Pettigrew. And he scrambled around to Rohini. "Please, I'm your godfather! I was your parents' friends!"

"You're a filthy rat." Rohini spat, looking down at him with cold rage. "You're not even worth killing. You're pathetic. You- you're-" She couldn't even keep talking and she would have jump on Pettigrew to punch him if Harry hadn't hold her back.

We'll take him up to the castle. We'll hand him over to the Dementors… He can go to Azkaban… but Rohini's right; don't kill him." Harry said.

"Harry!" gasped Pettigrew, and he flung his arms around Harry's knees. "You—thank you—it's more than I deserve—thank you—"

"Get off me," Harry spat, throwing Pettigrew's hands off him in disgust. "I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing it because—I don't reckon my dad would've wanted them to become killers—just for you."

No one moved or made a sound except Pettigrew, whose breath was coming in wheezes as he clutched his chest. Black and Lupin were looking at each other. Then, with one movement, they lowered their wands.

Very well," said Lupin. "Stand aside, Harry, Rohini. I'm going to tie him up," said Lupin. "That's all, I swear."

Harry stepped out of the way, pulling Rohini with him. She kept quiet, looking away from Pettigrew for her rage only grew stronger when her eyes fell upon him. Curious, how she was angrier now than she had been with Black. Maybe it was because she had felt Harry's godfather was innocent, or maybe it was to learn Pettigrew was her godfather.

Thin cords shot from Lupin's wand this time, and next moment, Pettigrew was wriggling on the floor, bound and gagged.

"But if you transform, Peter," growled Black, his own wand pointing at Pettigrew too, "we will kill you. You agree, Harry?"

Harry looked down at the pitiful figure on the floor and nodded so that Pettigrew could see him.

"Right," said Lupin, suddenly businesslike. "I see someone have already taken care of your leg Ron until you see Madam Pomfrey."

"It's Rohini." Ron said and Lupin gave Rohini a quick smile.

"What about Professor Snape?" said Hermione in a small voice, looking down at Snape's prone figure downstairs.

"He can rot here." Rohini breathed.

Professor Lupin went downstairs and bended over Snape to check his pulse. "Still out cold but he's alive. Er—perhaps it will be best if we don't revive him until we're safely back in the castle. We can take him like this…"

He muttered, " _Mobilicorpus._ " As though invisible strings were tied to Snape's wrists, neck, and knees, he was pulled into a standing position, head still lolling unpleasantly, like a grotesque puppet. He hung a few inches above the ground, his limp feet dangling. Lupin picked up the Invisibility Cloak and handed it to the twins.

"And two of us should be chained to this," said Black, nudging Pettigrew with his toe. "Just to make sure."

"I'll do it," said Lupin.

"And me," said Ron savagely, limping forward.

Black conjured heavy manacles from thin air; soon Pettigrew was upright again, left arm chained to Lupin's right, right arm to Ron's left. Ron's face was set. He seemed to have taken Scabbers's true identity as a personal insult. Crookshanks and Thranduil leapt lightly off the bed and led the way out of the room.

Getting back into the tunnel was difficult. Lupin, Pettigrew, and Ron had to turn sideways to manage it; Lupin still had Pettigrew covered with his wand. Harry could see them edging awkwardly along the tunnel in single file. Crookshanks and Thranduil were still in the lead. Hermione kept glancing at Rohini who said nothing, staring straightforward until she felt someone touching her shoulder.

"Here." Sirius said softly, handing her her wand.

"Thanks." Rohini croaked.

"You know what this means?" Black said to Harry as they made their slow progress along the tunnel. "Turning Pettigrew in?"

"You're free," said Harry.

"Yes…," said Black. "But I'm also—I don't know if anyone ever told you—I'm your godfather."

"Yeah, I knew that," said Harry.

"Well… your parents appointed me your guardian," said Black stiffly. "If anything happened to them…"

The twins waited. Did Black mean what he thought he meant?

"I'll understand, of course, if you want to stay with your aunt and uncle," said Black. "But… well… think about it. Once my name's cleared… if you wanted a… a different home…"

"What—live with you?" Harry said, accidentally cracking his head on a bit of rock protruding from the ceiling. "Leave the Dursleys?"

"Of course, I thought you wouldn't want to," said Black quickly. "I understand, I just thought I'd—"

"Are you insane?" said Harry, his voice easily as croaky as Black's. "Of course I want to leave the Dursleys! Have you got a house? When can I move in? Rohini can come too, right?"

"You want to?" Sirius said. "You mean it?"

"Yeah, I mean it!" said Harry.

"I wish you were my godfather, too." Rohini mumbled.

"I don't need to be to ask you to come live with me, too." Black said and Rohini nodded, but said nothing. On this instant, she was too tired to feel happy or sad, or even angry. She was just that, tired.

They did not speak again until they had reached the end of the tunnel. The cats darted up first; Rohini wasn't sure why, but the tree didn't attack them when they exited the hole.

The grounds were very dark now; the only light came from the distant windows of the castle. Without a word, they set off. Pettigrew was still wheezing and occasionally whimpering.

"One wrong move, Peter," said Lupin threateningly ahead. His wand was still pointed sideways at Pettigrew's chest.

Silently they tramped through the grounds, the castle lights growing slowly larger. Snape was still drifting weirdly ahead of Black, his chin bumping on his chest. And then—

A cloud shifted. There were suddenly dim shadows on the ground. Their party was bathed in moonlight. The light of a full, big silver moon.

"Shit." Rohini said and they all glanced warily at Lupin who had gone rigid. "Shit." She repeated.

Tonight sure wasn't the right night to be out with a werewolf.


	20. Chapter 20

Rohini could barely hear anything except from the blood pulsing in her ears. She couldn't stop shivering, even though she wasn't cold. Her palms and forehead were sweaty, her bangs sticking to her face.

Professor Lupin was going to transform right here, right now, and they weren't in a safe distance at all.

"Oh, my—" Hermione gasped. "He didn't take his potion tonight! He's not safe!"

"Run," Black whispered. "Run. Now."

"Ron is still chained to them!" harry said, leaping forwards but Black caught him around the chest and threw him back.

"Leave it to me—RUN!"

"Let's go." Rohini said, grabbing Harry and pulling on his sleeve. "Harry please, let's go!"

There was a terrible snarling noise. Lupin's head was lengthening. So was his body. His shoulders were hunching. Hair was sprouting visibly on his face and hands, which were curling into clawed paws.

As the werewolf reared, snapping its long jaws, Sirius disappeared from the twins side. He had transformed. The enormous, bearlike dog bounded forward. As the werewolf wrenched itself free of the manacle binding it, the dog seized it about the neck and pulled it backward, away from Ron and Pettigrew. Rohini closed her eyes, unable to look at them fight.

"No!" She heard Hermione screamed and Rohini opened her eyes again and felt furious again as she saw that Pettigrew had dived for Lupin's dropped wand. Ron, unsteady on his bandaged leg, fell. There was a bang, a burst of light—and Ron lay motionless on the ground. Another bang—Crookshanks flew into the air and back to the earth in a heap. Thranduil hissed and tried to attack Pettigrew, but the man kicked him away.

"YOU SON OF A-" Rohini shouted as Harry pointed his wand at him.

" _Expelliarmus_!" Harry yelled; Lupin's wand flew high into the air and out of sight. "Stay where you are!" Harry shouted, running forward but it was too late; Pettigrew had transformed.

"I'm going after him!" Rohini told her brother before sprinting after her godfather. She wished she had completed her Animagus training; it would have been much easier to follow if she had been an animal.

"Sirius, he's gone, Pettigrew transformed!" she heard Harry yelled at their friends.

" _Petrificus Totalus_!" Rohini shouted, missing the rat. "STAY WHERE YOU ARE, YOU COWARD!"

But soon Pettigrew was too far away and with a ragefull growl, Rohini fell on her knees and slammed her fists on the dump ground.

"FUCK!" She shouted, the sound of her swearing echoing through the castle grounds. But she didn't have the time to rest; from the corner of her eyes, she saw something shiny floating in the air, above the lake. Narrowing her eyes, she realised that Black, Harry and Hermione were surrounded by the Dementors and that they were trying to keep them away.

"No." Rohini breathed, before running towards them. "NO!"

She couldn't let them be taken away from her. Not her friend. Not her brother. Not Sirius.

"HARRY!" She shouted, taking her wand out and trying to think about something happy, but all she could think of was Pettigrew's betrayal and the faint sound of her mother's screams. "HARRY!"

The dementors were closing in, barely ten feet from them. They formed a solid wall around Harry and Hermione, and were getting closer…

" _EXPECTO PATRONUM_!" Harry yelled, trying to blot the screaming from his ears. " _EXPECTO PATRONUM_!"

A thin wisp of silver escaped his wand and hovered like mist before him. At the same moment, Hermione collapsed next to him.

"DON'T GIVE UP, HARRY!" Rohini shouted, closing the distance between them. Her lungs were burning, her breaths were growing shorter, she had a cramp in her left leg…

" _Expecto—expecto patronum—_ "

Harry fell on his knees. Just a few more steps…

" _Expecto patronum_!" he gasped.

By the feeble light of his formless Patronus, a dementor halt, very close to him. Rohini felt a sharp rock pierce her skin for her shoes had been threw earlier next to the Whomping Willow. Hissing at the pain, she reached Harry and touched his skin; he was as cold as a corpse.

"Harry, don't give up." She told him before turning to the Dementor, pointing her wand at him.

" _Expecto Patronum_!" She said, thinking about how happy Harry had looked when he had won the Quidditch Cup. And now, they were going to leave the Dursleys' home for good… but her Patronus was still weak, though a bigger cloud that during Lupin's last lesson.

" _Expecto_ …" Harry mumbled, eyes barely opened.

The nearest Dementor raised both its rotting hands—and lowered its hood.

Where there should have been eyes, there was only thin, gray scabbed skin, stretched blankly over empty sockets. But there was a mouth… a gaping, shapeless hole, sucking the air with the sound of a death rattle. Rohini couldn't help but yell from the shock. She felt Harry froze in her arms.

Both their Patronus flickered and died.

"Sirius…" Harry mumbled. "Rohi…"

" _Expecto- Expecto Pa- Expecto_ …" Rohini tried, but she was petrified with fear.

A pair of strong, clammy hands suddenly attached themselves around her neck. Rohini gasped, releasing the air from her lungs. She could feel her whole body screaming in agony, tears in her burning eyes, could feel the Dementor's putrid breath… Lily screaming in her ears… Harry saying her name…

And then, through the fog that was drowning her, she thought she saw a silvery light growing brighter and brighter…

She felt the last of his strength leave her, and her head hit the ground as she fainted. Her last thought was for Harry, hoping he was going to make it out.

Xxxx

"Shocking business… shocking… miracle none of them died… never heard the like… by thunder, it was lucky you were there, Snape…"

"Thank you, Minister."

"Order of Merlin, Second Class, I'd say. First Class, if I can wangle it!"

"Thank you very much indeed, Minister."

"Nasty cut you've got there… Black's work, I suppose?"

"As a matter of fact, it was Potter…"

"No!"

"Black had bewitched them, I saw it immediately. A Confundus Charm, to judge by their behavior. They seemed to think there was a possibility he was innocent…"

Rohini grunted, blinking.

"Oh, she's waking up!"

"Harry…" Rohini croaked, blinded by the light above her. Her whole body was in an unbearable pain, and she wondered for a moment if Death was normally so painful. Shadows began to dance above her and she felt someone putting her glasses on her face.

"Minister…?" She asked weakly, confused. Then her eyes fell on Snape and she grimaced. "Not you…" She grunted.

"Pleasant as always, Potter." Snape said and Rohini flipped the bird at him.

"Now, now!" Cornelius Fudge said, lowering her hand. "She's probably just confused. Must have been terrible, to be attacked by the Dementors, really…"

"Dem… Dementors!" Rohini shouted, jumping into a sitting position and always throwing up as she felt extremely dizzy from it. Madam Pomfrey offered her a large piece of chocolate but Rohini pushed it away, looking around and sighing in relief as she saw Harry in the bed next to hers. They were lying in the Hospital Wing, back to the castle.

Harry finally awoke and was now sitting up, putting his glasses back on, and picking up his wand.

"I need to see the headmaster," he said.

"Yeah, me too." Rohini said, standing up and limping towards her brother to give him a quick hug. "I'm glad you're alive." She whispered and Harry nodded, taking her hand.

"Potters," said Madam Pomfrey, "it's all right. They've got Black. He's locked away upstairs. The dementors will be performing the kiss any moment now—"

"WHAT?" The twins yelled, exchanging a horrified look. They heard Hermione gasp behind them and soon they were trying to rush out of the Hospital Wing but the Minister and Snape blocked the entrance.

"Harry, Rohini, what's this?" said Fudge, looking agitated. "You should be in bed—has they had any chocolate?" he asked Madam Pomfrey anxiously.

"Minister, listen!" Harry said. "Sirius Black's innocent! Peter Pettigrew faked his own death! We saw him tonight! You can't let the Dementors do that thing to Sirius, he's—"

But Fudge was shaking his head with a small smile on his face.

"Harry, Harry, you're very confused, you've been through a dreadful ordeal, lie back down, now, we've got everything under control…"

"You've never had anything in control ever, you fat slug!" Rohini said angrily and Fudge froze.

"You've got the wrong man!" Harry said, clenching his fists.

"Minister, listen, please," Hermione said; she had hurried to the twins' side and was gazing imploringly into Fudge's face. "I saw him too. It was Ron's rat, he's an Animagus, Pettigrew, I mean, and—"

"You see, Minister?" said Snape. "Confunded, both of them… Black's done a very good job on them…"

"WE'RE NOT CONFUNDED!" The twins roared.

The door opened and silence fell back on the Hospital Wing; it was Dumbledore.

"Professor Dumbledore, Sirius Black—" Harry began.

"For heaven's sake!" said Madam Pomfrey hysterically. "Is this a hospital wing or not? Headmaster, I must insist—"

"My apologies, Poppy, but I need a word with Mr. and Miss Potter and Miss Granger," said Dumbledore calmly. "I have just been talking to Sirius Black—"

"I suppose he's told you the same fairy tale he's planted in Potters' mind?" spat Snape. "Something about a rat, and Pettigrew being alive—"

"That, indeed, is Black's story," said Dumbledore, surveying Snape closely through his half-moon spectacles.

"And does my evidence count for nothing?" snarled Snape. "Peter Pettigrew was not in the Shrieking Shack, nor did I see any sign of him on the grounds."

"Because you were too busy crying over your childhood grunge!" Rohini said and Snape looked ready to jump on her and strangle her with his bare hands. "You giant cry baby-"

"Miss Potter, HOLD YOUR TONGUE!"

"Now, Snape," said Fudge, startled, "the young lady is disturbed in her mind, we must make allowances—"

"I would like to speak to Harry, Rohini and Hermione alone," said Dumbledore abruptly. "Cornelius, Severus, Poppy—please leave us."

"Headmaster!" sputtered Madam Pomfrey "They need treatment, they need rest—"

"This cannot wait," said Dumbledore. "I must insist."

Madam Pomfrey pursed her lips and strode away into her office at the end of the ward, slamming the door behind her. Fudge consulted the large gold pocket watch dangling from his waistcoat.

"The Dementors should have arrived by now," he said. "I'll go and meet them. Dumbledore, I'll see you upstairs."

He crossed to the door and held it open for Snape, but Snape hadn't moved.

"You surely don't believe a word of Black's story?" Snape whispered, his eyes fixed on Dumbledore's face.

"I wish to speak to Harry, Rohini and Hermione alone," Dumbledore repeated.

Snape took a step toward Dumbledore.

"Sirius Black showed he was capable of murder at the age of sixteen," he breathed. "You haven't forgotten that, Headmaster? You haven't forgotten that he once tried to kill me?"

"My memory is as good as it ever was, Severus," said Dumbledore quietly.

Snape turned on his heel and marched through the door Fudge was still holding. It closed behind them, and Dumbledore turned to the twins and Hermione.

"Professor, Black's telling the truth—we saw Pettigrew—"

"—he escaped when Professor Lupin turned into a werewolf—"

"—he's a rat—"

"—Pettigrew's front paw, I mean, finger, he cut it off—"

"—Pettigrew attacked Ron, it wasn't Sirius—"

But Dumbledore held up his hand to stem the flood of explanations.

"It is your turn to listen, and I beg you will not interrupt me, because there is very little time," he said quietly. "There is not a shred of proof to support Black's story, except your word—and the word of three thirteen-year-old wizards will not convince anybody. A street full of eyewitnesses swore they saw Sirius murder Pettigrew. I myself gave evidence to the Ministry that Sirius had been the Potters' Secret-Keeper."

"Well you were wrong." Rohini couldn't help but say.

"Professor Lupin can tell you—" Harry said and Dumbledore raised his hand.

"Professor Lupin is currently deep in the forest, unable to tell anyone anything. By the time he is human again, it will be too late, Sirius will be worse than dead. I might add that werewolves are so mistrusted by most of our kind that his support will count for very little—and the fact that he and Sirius are old friends—"

"But—"

"Listen to me, Harry, Rohini. It is too late, you understand me? You must see that Professor Snape's version of events is far more convincing than yours."

"He hates Sirius," Hermione said desperately. "All because of some stupid trick Sirius played on him—"

"Sirius has not acted like an innocent man. The attack on the Fat Lady—entering Gryffindor Tower with a knife—without Pettigrew, alive or dead, we have no chance of overturning Sirius's sentence."

"But you believe us."

"Yes, I do," said Dumbledore quietly. "But I have no power to make other men see the truth, or to overrule the Minister of Magic…"

"Can't we show people our own memory, then?" Rohini asked. "If the Minister can see it with his own eyes, then he would have to admit Sirius is innocent!"

"What we need for now," said Dumbledore slowly, and his light blue eyes moved from the twins to Hermione, "is more time."

"But—" Hermione began. And then her eyes became very round. "OH!"

"Now, pay attention," said Dumbledore, speaking very low, and very clearly. "Sirius is locked in Professor Flitwick's office on the seventh floor. Thirteenth window from the right of the West Tower. If all goes well, you will be able to save more than one innocent life tonight. But remember this, both of you: you must not be seen. Miss Granger, you know the law—you know what is at stake… You—must—not—be—seen."

Rohini didn't have a clue what was going on. Dumbledore had turned on his heel and looked back as he reached the door.

"I am going to lock you in. It is—" he consulted his watch, "five minutes to midnight. Miss Granger, three turns should do it. Good luck."

"Good luck?" Harry repeated as the door closed behind Dumbledore. "Three turns? What's he talking about? What are we supposed to do?"

But Hermione was fumbling with the neck of her robes, pulling from beneath them a very long, very fine gold chain.

"Come here," she said urgently. "Quick!"

The twins moved toward her, completely bewildered. She was holding the chain out. There was a tiny, sparkling hourglass hanging from it.

"Here—"

She had thrown the chain around their neck too.

"Ready?" she said breathlessly.

"What are we doing?" Harry said, completely lost.

Hermione turned the hourglass over three times.

The ward dissolved. It was as if they were flying very fast, backward. A blur of colors and shapes rushed past them, a very annoying hissing sound were echoing inside their head- And then they felt solid ground beneath their feet, and everything came into focus again.

The three of them were standing in the deserted entrance hall and a stream of golden sunlight was falling across the paved floor from the open front doors.

"Hermione, what—?"

"In here!" Hermione seized Harry's arm, who seized Rohini's, and dragged them across the hall to the door of a broom closet; she opened it, pushed them inside among the buckets and mops, then slammed the door behind them.

"What—how—Hermione, what happened?"

"We've gone back in time," Hermione whispered, lifting the chain off the twins' neck in the darkness. "Three hours back…"

"Whaaaat?" Rohini said.

"But—"

"Shh! Listen! Someone's coming! I think—I think it might be us!"

Hermione had her ear pressed against the cupboard door.

"Footsteps across the hall… yes, I think it's us going down to Hagrid's!"

"Are you telling me," Harry whispered, "that we're here in this cupboard and we're out there too?"

"Neat. Freaky, but neat…"

"Yes," said Hermione, her ear still glued to the cupboard door. "I'm sure it's us. It doesn't sound like more than four people… and we're walking slowly because we're under the Invisibility Cloak—"

She broke off, still listening intently.

"We've gone down the front steps…"

Hermione sat down on an upturned bucket, looking desperately anxious, but Harry wanted a few questions answered.

"Where did you get that hourglass thing?"

"It's called a Time-Turner," Hermione whispered, "and I got it from Professor McGonagall on our first day back. I've been using it all year to get to all my lessons. Professor McGonagall made me swear I wouldn't tell anyone. She had to write all sorts of letters to the Ministry of Magic so I could have one. She had to tell them that I was a model student, and that I'd never, ever use it for anything except my studies… I've been turning it back so I could do hours over again, that's how I've been doing several lessons at once, see?"

"That's so smart!" Rohini said and Hermione gave her a quick smile before her expression turned serious again.

"I don't understand what Dumbledore wants us to do. Why did he tell us to go back three hours? How's that going to help Sirius?"

"There must be something that happened around now he wants us to change," Harry said slowly. "What happened? We were walking down to Hagrid's three hours ago…"

"Because Bucky was going to be… to be executed." Rohini said, remembering the dreadful sound of the axe.

"Dumbledore just said—just said we could save more than one innocent life…" Harry said before something hit him. "We're going to save Buckbeak, of course!"

"But—how will that help Sirius?" Hermione asked.

"Buckbeak will be strong enough to carry Sirius." Rohini said. "And if we use him to fly to Flitwick's office, then we will not have to get back inside the castle!"

"Exactly!" Harry said. "Dumbledore said—he just told us where the window is—the window of Flitwick's office! Where they've got Sirius locked up!"

From what they could see of Hermione's face, she looked terrified.

"If we manage that without being seen, it'll be a miracle!"

"Well, we've got to try, haven't we?" said Harry. He stood up and pressed his ear against the door.

"Doesn't sound like anyone's there… Come on, let's go…"

He pushed open the closet door. The entrance hall was deserted. As quietly and quickly as they could, they darted out of the closet and down the stone steps. The shadows were already lengthening, the tops of the trees in the Forbidden Forest gilded once more with gold.

"If anyone's looking out of the window—" Hermione squeaked, looking up at the castle behind them.

"We'll run for it," said Harry determinedly. "Straight into the forest, all right? We'll have to hide behind a tree or something and keep a lookout—"

"Okay, but we'll go around by the greenhouses!" said Hermione breathlessly. "We need to keep out of sight of Hagrid's front door, or we'll see us! We must be nearly at Hagrid's by now!"

"Hermione, relax." Rohini told her friend, though she wasn't feeling so calm and confident either.

They tore across the vegetable gardens to the greenhouses, paused for a moment behind them, then set off again, fast as they could, skirting around the Whomping Willow, tearing toward the shelter of the forest.

They made their way silently through the trees, keeping to the very edge of the forest. Then, as they glimpsed the front of Hagrid's house, they heard a knock upon his door. They moved quickly behind a wide oak trunk and peered out from either side. Hagrid had appeared in his doorway, shaking and white, looking around to see who had knocked. The twins exchanged a weirded out glance as they heard Harry's voice.

"It's us. We're wearing the Invisibility Cloak. Let us in and we can take it off."

"Yeh shouldn've come!" Hagrid whispered. He stood back, then shut the door quickly.

"This is the weirdest thing we've ever done," Harry said fervently.

"Let's move along a bit," Hermione whispered. "We need to get nearer to Buckbeak!"

They crept through the trees until they saw the nervous hippogriff, tethered to the fence around Hagrid's pumpkin patch.

"Now?" Harry whispered.

"No!" said Hermione. "If we steal him now, those Committee people will think Hagrid set him free! We've got to wait until they've seen he's tied outside!"

"That's going to give us about sixty seconds," said Harry.

"I'm going to find Scabbers in a moment—" Hermione whispered.

Sure enough, a few minutes later, they heard Hermione's shriek of surprise.

"Hermione," said Harry suddenly, "what if we—we just run in there and grab Pettigrew—"

"No!" said Hermione in a terrified whisper. "Don't you understand? We're breaking one of the most important wizarding laws! Nobody's supposed to change time, nobody! You heard Dumbledore, if we're seen—"

"We'd only be seen by ourselves and Hagrid!"

"Harry, what do you think you'd do if you saw yourself bursting into Hagrid's house?" said Hermione.

"I'd—I'd think I'd gone mad," said Harry, "or I'd think there was some Dark Magic going on—"

"Exactly! You wouldn't understand, you might even attack yourself! Don't you see? Professor McGonagall told me what awful things have happened when wizards have meddled with time… Loads of them ended up killing their past or future selves by mistake!"

"What if we just petrify ourselves then and explain them the situation?" Rohini asked but Hermione shook her head.

Hermione pointed toward the castle. Dumbledore, Fudge, the old Committee member, and Macnair the executioner were coming down the steps.

"We're about to come out!" Hermione breathed.

And sure enough, moments later, Hagrid's back door opened, and Harry, Ron, Hermione and Rohini walked out of it with Hagrid.

"It feels so wrong in so many ways." Rohini said, watching herself. "Do I always walk with my shoulders so slouched?"

"It's okay, Beaky, it's okay…," Hagrid said to Buckbeak. Then he turned to the twins, Ron, and Hermione. "Go on. Get goin'."

There was a knock on Hagrid's front door. The execution party had arrived. Hagrid turned around and headed back into his cabin, leaving the back door ajar. They watched the grass flatten in patches all around the cabin and heard four pairs of feet retreating.

"Where is the beast?" came the cold voice of Macnair.

"Out—outside," Hagrid croaked.

"We—er—have to read you the official notice of execution, Hagrid. I'll make it quick. And then you and Macnair need to sign it. Macnair, you're supposed to listen too, that's procedure—"

Macnair's face vanished from the window. It was now or never.

"Wait here," Harry whispered to Hermione. "I'll do it."

"I'm coming, too." Rohini said, going after her brother.

As Fudge's voice started again, they darted out from behind his tree, vaulted the fence into the pumpkin patch, and approached Buckbeak.

"Hi, pretty boy." Rohini whispered, Harry and her bowing to the Hippogriff.

"It is the decision of the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures that the hippogriff Buckbeak, hereafter called the condemned, shall be executed on the sixth of June at sundown—"

Buckbeak sank to his scaly knees and then stood up again. Harry began to fumble with the knot of rope tying Buckbeak to the fence.

"Hurry!" Rohini whispered nervously.

"I'm trying!" Harry grunted.

"…sentenced to execution by beheading, to be carried out by the Committee's appointed executioner, Walden Macnair…"

"Come on, Buckbeak," Harry murmured, "come on, we're going to help you. Quietly… quietly…"

"…as witnessed below. Hagrid, you sign here…"

Harry threw all his weight onto the rope, but Buckbeak had dug in his front feet. Biting her lips, Rohini grabbed the rope and use it to slap Buckbeak's rump with it. The Hippogriff jolted and began to trot behind Harry, rustling its wings irritably.

"One moment, please, Macnair," came Dumbledore's voice. "You need to sign too." The footsteps stopped. Harry heaved on the rope. Buckbeak snapped his beak and walked a little faster.

Hermione's white face was sticking out from behind a tree.

"Harry, Rohini, hurry!" she mouthed.

They could still hear Dumbledore's voice talking from within the cabin as they finally reached the trees.

"Quick! Quick!" Hermione moaned, darting out from behind her tree, seizing the rope too and adding her weight to make Buckbeak move faster. They looked over their shoulders; they were now blocked from sight; they couldn't see Hagrid's garden at all.

"Stop!" he whispered to the girls. "They might hear us—"

Hagrid's back door had opened with a bang. Harry, Hermione, Rohini and Buckbeak stood quite still; even the hippogriff seemed to be listening intently.

Silence… then—

"Where is it?" said the reedy voice of the Committee member. "Where is the beast?"

"It was tied here!" said the executioner furiously. "I saw it! Just here!"

"How extraordinary," said Dumbledore. There was a note of amusement in his voice.

There was a swishing noise, and the thud of an axe. The executioner seemed to have swung it into the fence in anger. And then came the howling, and this time they could hear Hagrid's words through his sobs.

"Gone! Gone! Bless his little beak, he's gone! Musta pulled himself free! Beaky, yeh clever boy!"

Buckbeak started to strain against the rope, trying to get back to Hagrid.

"Someone untied him!" the executioner was snarling. "We should search the grounds, the forest—"

"Macnair, if Buckbeak has indeed been stolen, do you really think the thief will have led him away on foot?" said Dumbledore, still sounding amused. "Search the skies, if you will… Hagrid, I could do with a cup of tea. Or a large brandy."

"O'—o' course, Professor," said Hagrid, who sounded weak with happiness. "Come in, come in…"

They listened closely. They heard footsteps, the soft cursing of the executioner, the snap of the door, and then silence once more.

"Dumbledore is so sly, he should have been a Slytherin." Rohini said.

"Now what?" whispered Harry, looking around.

"We'll have to hide in here," said Hermione, who looked very shaken. "We need to wait until they've gone back to the castle. Then we wait until it's safe to fly Buckbeak up to Sirius's window. He won't be there for another couple of hours… Oh, this is going to be difficult…"

She looked nervously over her shoulder into the depths of the forest. The sun was setting now.

"We're going to have to move," said Harry, thinking hard. "We've got to be able to see the Whomping Willow, or we won't know what's going on."

"Okay," said Hermione, getting a firmer grip on Buckbeak's rope. "But we've got to keep out of sight, Harry, remember…"

They moved around the edge of the forest, darkness falling thickly around them, until they were hidden behind a clump of trees through which they could make out the Willow.

"Well," Rohini said, "show time, I guess."

Nobody answered her except Buckbeak, who hit her in the back with his beak.


	21. Chapter 21

It was definitely weird, to watch themselves run around to save Ron from Sirius. Rohini grimaced as she saw herself being hit by the Whomping Willow in the face before she sprinted towards the hole.

"Nice running skills." Hermione commented.

"Thanks." Rohini answered.

"Shh…" Harry said.

The next few minutes were quite dull for nothing interesting was happening anymore until Lupin came into view and hurried towards the huge tree. A few more minutes and, the castle doors flew open yet again, and Snape came charging out of them, running toward the Willow.

"Are you sure we can't jinx him?" Rohini asked and Hermione sighed.

They watched Snape skid to a halt next to the tree, looking around. He grabbed the invisibility cloak and held it up.

"Get your filthy hands off it." Harry snarled under his breath.

"So that's how he got inside!"

"Shh! We're all down there… and now we've just got to wait until we come back up again…"

She took the end of Buckbeak's rope and tied it securely around the nearest tree, then sat down on the dry ground, arms around her knees.

"There's something I don't understand… Why didn't the Dementors get Sirius? I remember them coming, and then I think I passed out… there were so many of them…"

The twins sat down too.

"I reached you guys," Rohini said, trying to remember what had happened. "Our Patronus, they were… they were weak. I don't remember what happened next, except that one of the Dementor tried to… to kiss me." She finished, shivering at the memory.

"Someone else casted a Patronus." Harry said and the girls looked at him in confusion. "A large silver something that forced the Dementors to retreat."

Hermione's mouth was slightly open now. "But who conjured it?"

"Harry?" Rohini said carefully.

"Didn't you see what they looked like?" said Hermione eagerly. "Was it one of the teachers?"

"No," said Harry. "He wasn't a teacher."

"So it was a man?"

"Yeah, I saw him," said Harry slowly. "But… maybe I imagined it… I wasn't thinking straight… I passed out right afterward…"

"Who did you think it was?"

"I think—" Harry swallowed, knowing how strange this was going to sound. "I think it was our dad."

Rohini raised her head to look at her brother who avoided her gaze.

"Harry, your dad's—well—dead," Hermione said quietly.

"I know that," said Harry quickly.

"You think you saw his ghost?"

"I don't know… no… he looked solid…"

"But then—"

"Maybe I was seeing things," said Harry. "But… from what I could see… it looked like him… I've got photos of him…"

"That's weird…" Rohini said.

"I know it sounds crazy," said Harry flatly. He turned to look at Buckbeak, who was digging his beak into the ground, apparently searching for worms.

"Maybe it was someone who looks like him…" Rohini mumbled, looking at the creature, too. "But except for us, nobody does…"

Since she had fainted right before the intervention, Rohini had no idea what the man truly looked like and it was a bit frustrating.

The leaves overhead rustled faintly in the breeze. The moon drifted in and out of sight behind the shifting clouds. Hermione sat with her face turned toward the Willow, waiting.

And then, at last, after over an hour…

"Here we come!" Hermione whispered.

They got to their feet. Buckbeak raised his head. They saw Lupin, Pettigrew, and Ron clambering awkwardly out of the hole in the roots and Rohini felt a new rush of anger at the sign of the pitiful traitor. They were followed by the unconscious Snape, drifting weirdly upward. Next came Harry, Hermione, Black and Rohini. They all began to walk toward the castle.

"We've got to stay put. We mustn't be seen. There's nothing we can do…" Hermione reminded the twins.

"So we're just going to let Pettigrew escape all over again…" said Harry quietly.

"That's unfair." Rohini grumbled.

"How do you expect to find a rat in the dark?" snapped Hermione. "There's nothing we can do! We came back to help Sirius; we're not supposed to be doing anything else!"

"All right!"

The moon slid out from behind its cloud. They saw the tiny figures across the grounds stop. Then they saw movement—

"There goes Lupin," Hermione whispered. "He's transforming—"

"Hermione!" said Harry suddenly. "We've got to move!"

"We mustn't, I keep telling you—"

"Not to interfere! Lupin's going to run into the forest, right at us!"

"Oh." Rohini said, realising Harry was right. "Run!" She told them, pulling them back on their feet.

Hermione gasped.

"Quick!" she moaned, dashing to untie Buckbeak. "Quick! Where are we going to go? Where are we going to hide? The Dementors will be coming any moment—"

"Back to Hagrid's!" Harry said. "We can hide behind his pumpkins if he's still inside!"

They ran as fast as they could, Buckbeak cantering along behind them. They could hear the werewolf howling behind them and Rohini tried not to imagine how it would feel to be eaten alive.

The cabin was in sight and through the windows they saw it was empty; Harry skidded to the door, wrenched it open, and Hermione and Buckbeak flashed past him; Rohini threw herself in after them and bolted the door. Fang barked loudly.

"Shh, Fang, it's us!" said Hermione, hurrying over and scratching his ears to quieten him. "That was really close!" she said to Harry.

"Yeah…" Rohini sighed.

Harry was looking out of the window. Rohini dropped on Hagrid's bed with a grunt. Buckbeak seemed very happy to find himself back inside Hagrid's house. He lay down in front of the fire, folded his wings contentedly, and seemed ready for a good nap.

"I think I'd better go outside again, you know," said Harry slowly. "I can't see what's going on—we won't know when it's time—"

Hermione looked up. Her expression was suspicious. Rohini jumped on her feet again.

"I'm coming. It would be safer if Professor Lupin is still around. Harder to catch two people rather than one."

"If we don't see what's going on, how're we going to know when it's time to rescue Sirius?" Harry pointed out.

"Well… okay, then… I'll wait here with Buckbeak… but you two, be careful—there's a werewolf out there—and the Dementors—"

"Don't fret, Hermione." Rohini said, following Harry outside. "Let's go, little brother."

"Yeah." Harry said and they broke into a run, heading towards the lake, Rohini glancing around every second to make sure no werewolf or Dementors were around.

"Shit, the Dementors are already here!" Rohini said, pointing at the opposite bank, where they could see tiny glimmers of silver. "We're too weak to cast a proper Patronus, with all those Dementors around…"

"Here." Harry said, pointing at a bush at the very edge of the water. Harry threw himself behind it, peering desperately through the leaves and Rohini did the same. On the opposite bank, the glimmers of silver were suddenly extinguished.

"Come on!" Harry muttered, staring about. "Where are you? Dad, come on—"

But nobody came.

"Harry, are you sure you saw dad?" Rohini asked, shivering as she recognised the Dementor who had attacked her lowering his hood. "Harry, I have a bad feeling about it. Dad is dead, he couldn't have-"

"Wait." Harry said, looking at her. "You were right. We are the only ones who look like Dad at Hogwarts. The man I saw; it was me! We did interfere, then!"

"Oh." Rohini said, before glancing back at herself; the Dementor was ready to kiss her now. "Let's do it, then. Let's disturb the Universe." She said and the twins flung out from behind the bush and pulled out their wands.

"Together?" Rohini asked and Harry nodded. They both recalled their happier memories before pointing at the Dementors.

" _EXPECTO PATRONUM!"_ They yelled.

Rohini had always wondered what her Patronus would look like. She had talked about it with Padma once. Professor Lupin had told her sometimes the Patronus looked just like one's Animagus form, but that it wasn't necessary the case.

As she watched the silver Blackbuck jumping out of the end of her wand, she hoped her Animagus form will be just as breath taking. She admired the long horns, the animal speed. It was now galloping fast next to Harry's Patronus that was a gracious stag.

The two animals charged at the swarming Dementors, Harry's Patronus protecting Sirius, the twins and Hermione while Rohini's one charged the Dementors further away. The Dementors were falling back, scattering, retreating into the darkness… and finally they were gone.

The two Patronus were now trotting back toward the twins across the still surface of the water, shining brightly as the moon above.

"They are beautiful." Rohini whispered in admiration, walking away from Harry to stand up in front of the Blackbuck. "Thank you." She said to the silver creature that bowed to her before vanishing.

They suddenly heard hooves behind them and as they turned, they saw Hermione dashing toward them, dragging Buckbeak behind her.

"What did you do?" she said fiercely. "You said you were only going to keep a lookout!"

"We just saved all our lives…," said Harry. "Get behind here—behind this bush—I'll explain."

Hermione listened to what had just happened with her mouth open yet again.

"Did anyone see you?"

"Yes, haven't you been listening? I saw me but I thought I was our dad! It's okay!"

"I can't believe it… You conjured up a Patronus that drove away all those Dementors! That's very, very advanced magic…"

"What can I say? We're the coolest siblings." Rohini said, looking at Harry proudly.

"Yeah, we are." Harry said and this time, he was the one messing up with Rohini's hair and made her groan.

"You're embarrassing."

"Look at Snape!" Hermione said, pointing at their teacher.

Snape had regained consciousness. He was conjuring stretchers and lifting the limp forms of Harry, Hermione, Rohini and Black onto them. A fourth stretcher, no doubt bearing Ron, was already floating at his side. Then, wand held out in front of him, he moved them away toward the castle.

"Right, it's nearly time," said Hermione tensely, looking at her watch. "We've got about forty-five minutes until Dumbledore locks the door to the hospital wing. We've got to rescue Sirius and get back into the ward before anybody realizes we're missing…"

They waited, watching the moving clouds reflected in the lake, while the bush next to them whispered in the breeze. Buckbeak, bored, was ferreting for worms again.

"D' you reckon he's up there yet?" said Harry, checking his watch while Rohini tried to recognise Flitwick's window.

"Look!" Hermione whispered. "Who's that? Someone's coming back out of the castle!"

They stared through the darkness. The man was hurrying across the grounds, toward one of the entrances. Something shiny glinted in his belt.

"Macnair!" said Harry. "The executioner! He's gone to get the Dementors! This is it, Hermione—"

"But how are we going to ride Buckbeak? We're three!" Rohini said.

"You two are quite skinny, it should be fine." Hermione said, though she didn't sound so sure.

Needless to say, it was an awkward ride; Harry mounted Buckbeak first, then Rohini and finally Hermione who was holding Rohini so tightly she was worried she would snap in two.

Harry urged Buckbeak forward. They were gliding quietly toward the upper floors of the castle and Rohini felt oddly peaceful for a few seconds. Harry pulled hard on the left-hand side of the rope, and Buckbeak turned.

"Here, that's that window!" Rohini said, pointing at Flitwick's Office.

"Whoa!" Harry said, pulling backward as hard as he could.

Buckbeak slowed down and they found themselves at a stop, unless you counted the fact that they kept rising up and down several feet as the hippogriff beat his wings to remain airborne.

"He's there!" Harry said, spotting Sirius as they rose up beside the window. He reached out, and as Buckbeak's wings fell, was able to tap sharply on the glass.

Black looked up. Harry saw his jaw drop. He leapt from his chair, hurried to the window and tried to open it, but it was locked.

" _Alohomora_!" Rohini window sprang open.

"How—how—?" said Black weakly, staring at the hippogriff."

"No time to explain, can you change into a dog?" Rohini asked and Sirius did. They awkwardly pulled him in front of Harry, his huge paws resting on Buckbeak's head.

"Okay, Buckbeak, up!" said Harry, shaking the rope. "Up to the tower—come on!"

The hippogriff gave one sweep of its mighty wings and they were soaring upward again, high as the top of the West Tower. Buckbeak landed with a clatter on the battlements, and the twins and Hermione slid off him at once. Sirius changed back into his human form and Rohini gave him a quick hug before petting Buckbeak.

"Sirius, you'd better go, quick," Harry panted. "They'll reach Flitwick's office any moment, they'll find out you're gone."

Buckbeak pawed the ground, tossing his sharp head.

"What happened to the other boy? Ron?" croaked Sirius.

"He's going to be okay. He's still out of it, but Madam Pomfrey says she'll be able to make him better. Quick—go—"

But Black was still staring down at Harry.

"How can I ever thank you?"

"Tell us who was born first." Rohini asked and Harry groaned, reminding her there was no time.

"Really, you don't know?" Sirius asked, looking amused.

"Hurry, go!" Harry and Hermione shouted together.

"Fine, let's talk about it later." Rohini mumbled, crossing her arms.

Black wheeled Buckbeak around, facing the open sky.

"We'll meet again." He said to the twins, looking fondly at them. And as he squeezed Buckbeak's sides with his heels and he took off into the air, he turned one last time towards the twins and said: "You're the little sister, by the way!" And off he was.

"Damn." Rohini said, pouting childishly. "I was certain I was the oldest…"

"Well, even you can be wrong." Harry said with a smile.

"Let's go." Hermione said, checking her watch. "We've got exactly ten minutes to get back down to the hospital wing without anybody seeing us—before Dumbledore locks the door—"

"Okay," said Harry, wrenching his gaze from the sky, "let's go…"

They slipped through the doorway behind them and down a tightly spiralling stone staircase. As they reached the bottom of it, they heard voices. They flattened themselves against the wall and listened. It sounded like Fudge and Snape. They were walking quickly along the corridor at the foot of the staircase.

"…only hope Dumbledore's not going to make difficulties," Snape was saying. "The Kiss will be performed immediately?"

"As soon as Macnair returns with the Dementors. This whole Black affair has been highly embarrassing. I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to informing the Daily Prophet that we've got him at last… I daresay they'll want to interview you, Snape… and once young Harry and Rohini are back in their right mind, I expect they'll want to tell the Prophet exactly how you saved them…"

"Go sit on a stick." Rohini said between her teeth and Hermione elbowed her.

Their footsteps died away. The twins and Hermione waited a few moments to make sure they'd really gone, then started to run in the opposite direction. Down one staircase, then another, along a new corridor—then they heard a cackling ahead.

"Peeves!" Harry muttered, grabbing the girls' wrists. "In here!"

They tore into a deserted classroom to their left just in time. Peeves seemed to be bouncing along the corridor in boisterous good spirits, laughing his head off.

"Oh, he's horrible," whispered Hermione, her ear to the door. "I bet he's all excited because the Dementors are going to finish off Sirius…" She checked her watch. "Three minutes!"

They waited until Peeves's gloating voice had faded into the distance, then slid back out of the room and broke into a run again.

"Hermione—what'll happen—if we don't get back inside—before Dumbledore locks the door?" Harry panted.

"I don't want to think about it!" Hermione moaned, checking her watch again. "One minute!"

They had reached the end of the corridor with the hospital wing entrance. "Okay—I can hear Dumbledore," said Hermione tensely. "Come on!"

They crept along the corridor. The door opened. Dumbledore's back appeared.

"I am going to lock you in," they heard him saying. "It is five minutes to midnight. Miss Granger, three turns should do it. Good luck."

Dumbledore backed out of the room, closed the door, and took out his wand to magically lock it. Panicking, the twins and Hermione ran forward. Dumbledore looked up, and a wide smile appeared under the long silver moustache. "Well?" he said quietly.

"We did it!" said Harry breathlessly. "Sirius has gone, on Buckbeak…"

"I can't believe you planed all of this." Rohini said. "Actually… yeah, I can."

Dumbledore beamed at them.

"Well done. I think—" He listened intently for any sound within the hospital wing. "Yes, I think you've gone too—get inside—I'll lock you in—"

They slipped back inside the dormitory. It was empty except for Ron, who was still lying motionless in the end bed. As the lock clicked behind them, The twins and Hermione crept back to their own beds, Hermione tucking the Time-Turner back under her robes. A moment later, Madam Pomfrey came striding back out of her office.

"Did I hear the headmaster leaving? Am I allowed to look after my patients now?"

She was in a very bad mood. The trio thought it best to accept their chocolate quietly. Madam Pomfrey stood over them, making sure they ate it. But they could hardly swallow, waiting, listening, their nerves jangling… And then, as they both took a fourth piece of chocolate from Madam Pomfrey, they heard a distant roar of fury echoing from somewhere above them…

"What was that?" said Madam Pomfrey in alarm.

Now they could hear angry voices, growing louder and louder. Madam Pomfrey was staring at the door. Rohini tried to hide her smile behind her sleeve.

"Really—they'll wake everybody up! What do they think they're doing?"

"He must have Disapparated, Severus. We should have left somebody in the room with him. When this gets out—"

"HE DIDN'T DISAPPARATE!" Snape roared, now very close at hand. "YOU CAN'T APPARATE OR DISAPPARATE INSIDE THIS CASTLE! THIS—HAS—SOMETHING—TO—DO—WITH—POTTERS!"

"Severus—be reasonable—they has been locked up—"

BAM! The door of the hospital wing burst open and Fudge, Snape, and Dumbledore came striding into the ward. Dumbledore alone looked calm. Indeed, he looked as though he was quite enjoying himself. Once again, Rohini thought he would have been in his element as a Slytherin. Fudge appeared angry. But Snape was beside himself.

"OUT WITH IT, POTTERS!" he bellowed. "WHAT DID YOU DO?"

"Professor Snape!" shrieked Madam Pomfrey. "Control yourself!"

"See here, Snape, be reasonable," said Fudge. "This door's been locked, we just saw—"

"THEY HELPED HIM ESCAPE, I KNOW IT!" Snape howled, pointing at the twins and Hermione. His face was twisted; spit was flying from his mouth.

"Calm down, man!" Fudge barked. "You're talking nonsense!"

"YOU DON'T KNOW THEM!" shrieked Snape. "THEY DID IT, I KNOW HE DID IT—"

"I think you should keep Professor Snape for the night." Rohini said with a confused expression at Madam Pomfrey. "He seems slightly hysterical."

"That will do, Severus," said Dumbledore quietly. "Think about what you are saying. This door has been locked since I left the ward ten minutes ago. Madam Pomfrey, have these students left their beds?"

"Of course not!" said Madam Pomfrey, bristling. "I would have heard them!"

"Well, there you have it, Severus," said Dumbledore calmly. "Unless you are suggesting that Harry, Rohini and Hermione are able to be in two places at once, I'm afraid I don't see any point in troubling them further."

Snape stood there, seething, staring from Fudge, who looked thoroughly shocked at his behaviour, to Dumbledore, whose eyes were twinkling behind his glasses. Snape whirled about, robes swishing behind him, and stormed out of the ward.

"Fellow seems quite unbalanced," said Fudge, staring after him. "I'd watch out for him if I were you, Dumbledore."

"Oh, he's not unbalanced," said Dumbledore quietly. "He's just suffered a severe disappointment."

"He's not the only one!" puffed Fudge. "The Daily Prophet's going to have a field day! We had Black cornered and he slipped through our fingers yet again! All it needs now is for the story of that hippogriff's escape to get out, and I'll be a laughingstock! Well… I'd better go and notify the Ministry…"

"And the Dementors?" said Dumbledore. "They'll be removed from the school, I trust?"

"Oh yes, they'll have to go," said Fudge, running his fingers distractedly through his hair. "Never dreamed they'd attempt to administer the Kiss on innocent students…"

"Yes, so surprising…" Rohini said sarcastically and Fudge glanced at her before looking back at Dumbledore.

"-Completely out of control… no, I'll have them packed off back to Azkaban tonight… Perhaps we should think about dragons at the school entrance…"

"Hagrid would like that," said Dumbledore, smiling at them. As he and Fudge left the dormitory, Madam Pomfrey hurried to the door and locked it again. Muttering angrily to herself, she headed back to her office.

There was a low moan from the other end of the ward. Ron had woken up. They could see him sitting up, rubbing his head, looking around.

"What—what happened?" he groaned. "Harry? Why are we in here? Where's Sirius? Where's Lupin? What's going on?"

The twins and Hermione looked at each other.

"You explain," said Harry, helping himself to some more chocolate as Rohini dropped her head into the soft pillow of her bed and fell fast asleep, exhausted by the past few hours.

She dreamt of werewolf, dog and hippogriff that night.


	22. Chapter 22

As soon as she left the Hospital Wing, Rohini was brought into a tight hug by Padma, Luna and Ginny who had heard about their misadventure.

And though it might have been wiser to keep everything secret, Rohini went against it and decided to tell everything to her friends; the truth about Sirius Black, about Pettigrew, about Snape who had apparently been praising himself and had the nerves to tell the whole school about Lupin's werewolf side, about how they saved both Buckbeak and Sirius by using a Time Turner…

"Wow." The girls said as Rohini caught her breath.

"That's… I have no idea what to think about all of this." Ginny sighed. "Pettigrew really tricked everybody, if even the Minister and Dumbledore thought Black was guilty…"

"I can't believe Black was innocent this whole time… That's unfair that he didn't get the chance to be proven innocent." Padma said. "I hope both of them will be safe."

"Can't say the same about Professor Lupin." Ginny said, looking grim.

"What do you mean?" Rohini asked with a frown.

"I've heard he was already packing; people are going riot over the fact a werewolf taught their kids."

"What?!"

"That's dreadful. Professor Lupin was an amazing teacher." Luna said, shaking her head. "It might be difficult for him to find a job now…"

"He's leaving already?" Rohini asked, jumping on her feet. "Oh no!"

"Where are you going?" Padma asked as Rohini headed towards the dorm's exit.

"I'm going to go and see him!"

"Wait for us!" The girls said, going after her.

Lupin's office door was open. He had already packed most of his things. The grindylow's empty tank stood next to his battered old suitcase, which was open and nearly full. Lupin was bending over something on his desk and raised an eyebrow when the three girls busted into his office.

"Professor Lupin, you can't go!" Rohini yelled.

"You're the best DADA teacher Hogwarts have known!"

"Is there no way to make you stay?"

"We will all miss you very much…"

Looking at their sad faces, Lupin chucked and invited them to sit where they could.

"I've heard from the Headmaster that Harry and you were able to create a proper Patronus." He said and Rohini nodded. "Funny that Harry's one is a Stag. It was your father's Animagus form. That's why we called him Prongs."

"I wonder why mine is a Blackbuck…" Rohini said, thinking about it. "Was it mum's Patronus, too?"

"No, your mother's was a doe."

"Oh…" Rohini said, sounding a bit disappointed.

"You're more like your parents that you seem to think." Lupin said, smiling. "They would both be proud of Harry and you."

"And so are we." Ginny said and Rohini blushed.

"Do you know where you will work from now on, Professor?" Luna asked and Professor Lupin sighed.

"I have to admit it will be harder from now on to find an employer. Not everybody is as kind and compassionate as Dumbledore about werewolves, which I understand."

"I think my dad has a friend who was looking for a new employee." Luna said, smiling. "Maybe it could help."

"That's kind of you, Luna." Lupin said, offering them a huge Honeydukes chocolate bar each. "Those are my last ones. Even I can run out of chocolates, it seems." He said to Rohini.

"You will still be the Wizard Willy Wonka to me." Rohini laughed.

"Who?" Padma asked.

"I will explain it to you later. Muggle culture, just like The Hobbit." Rohini said and Padma huffed.

"It looks like Harry is on his way, too." Lupin said, glancing at his desk and Rohini realised he had the Marauders map open on it.

"Professor," Rohini said, thinking about something, "If you created the Map, then it means you wrote my journal, too!"

Rohini pulled the journal out of her bag and handed it to Professor Lupin.

"I've read it like a hundred times already! Padma and I used it quite a lot since Christmas." She said and Lupin nodded.

"I'm glad it served its purpose. This spell was written by both your father and I. He had the messiest handwriting of us all. And this one, that's Sirius. He was the one that kept it after our Hogwarts years."

"Black sent this journal to Rohini?" Ginny asked, surprised. "How?"

"That's a question only he has the answer, I'm afraid." Lupin said, though he was smiling. "Just like how did he manage to send the Firebolt to Harry."

"So Hermione was right, it was Sirius' doing!" Rohini gasped.

"He's quite amazing, isn't he?" Padma said. "It's a pity he has to hide, I'm sure he would have been able to teach you a lot, Rohi…"

Someone knocked at the door and Harry came in, looking surprised to see Lupin's office already full.

"Hi, Harry." Ginny said, smiling at her friend.

"Hello Ginny." Harry said and Ginny's cheeks turned slightly pink. "Hi Padma, Luna. Professor Lupin, i-"

"Let's go, girls." Rohini said, cracking her bones before turning to Professor Lupin. "Thank you, Professor. I'm glad we met you."

"The feeling is mutual." Professor Lupin said, smiling. "Goodbye, you three. It was a pleasure to teach such kind and smart students."

"Thanks, professor." The girls said and with a nod at Harry, they left his office.

"I really hope your father's friend will be able to offer him a job." Ginny said to Luna as they headed towards the Main Gate. "He deserves it."

"Agreed." Rohini said.

Malfoy was furious about Buckbeak. He was convinced that Hagrid had found a way of smuggling the hippogriff to safety, and seemed outraged that he and his father had been outwitted by a gamekeeper. Percy Weasley, meanwhile, had much to say on the subject of Sirius's escape.

"If I manage to get into the Ministry, I'll have a lot of proposals to make about Magical Law Enforcement!" he told the only person who would listen—his girlfriend, Penelope.

"That's amazing how someone in love would listen to anything someone has to say." Padma said, amused, as they watched the two lovebirds.

"Yeah, it is." Ginny and Rohini sighed at the same time and Luna chuckled, looking at them knowingly.

Half the school was in a morose mood about Lupin's resignation; werewolf or not, he had been an amazing teacher and the first one to properly do his job as a DADA professor. The Gryffindors especially seemed affected by it.

"Wonder what they'll give us next year?" said Seamus Finnigan gloomily.

"Maybe a vampire," suggested Dean Thomas hopefully.

Harry wasn't doing too well either; Rohini knew he had been affected by the fact they won't be able to go and live with his godfather thanks to Pettigrew and had to go back to the Dursleys instead.

"It would have been the next best thing to having our parents back." Harry said once as the twins enjoyed some alone time together, sitting in front of the lake.

"At least he made it out alive. Maybe one day, we'll be able to prove his innocence." Rohini said, throwing a pebble into the water. One of the Giant Squid's tentacles went out, waved at her, and disappeared again under the surface.

"I think he likes you, _little sister_." Harry said and Rohini rolled her eyes.

"You will never shut up about it now, would you?"

"Never."

"So uncool." Rohini sighed. "I hope my Animagus' form will be a bug so I can bug you for the rest of your life."

"That was your worst pun ever."

"Oh, Shut up."

The exam results came out on the last day of term. They were all please to learn they had passed every subject. Harry and Ron were amazed that they had got through Potions. They suspected that Dumbledore might have stepped in to stop Snape failing them on purpose.

Snape's behaviour toward the twins over the past week had been quite alarming to the point they had to hide under their father's cloak as soon as they spotted Snape walking towards them in empty corridors in fear he'd try to murder them.

Percy had got his top-grade N.E.W.T.s; Fred and George had scraped a handful of O.W.L.s each. Gryffindor House, meanwhile, thanks to their spectacular performance in the Quidditch Cup, had won the House championship for the second year running. This meant that the end of term feast took place amid decorations of scarlet and gold, and that the Gryffindor table was the noisiest of the lot, as everybody celebrated.

"We will win next year." Rohini assured her friends as they get inside the Hogwarts Express the next morning. "I refuse to let my big brother win a third time!"

"You only have like, one minute difference between your births." Ginny laughed as they sat in a wagon with Parvati and Lavender.

They decided not to talk about Sirius, for neither Parvati nor Lavender knew about the truth, nor about Professor Lupin for Lavender had a strong opinion about werewolves. Instead, they talked about Ginny's wish to be part of the Gryffindor Quidditch team next year, a decision they all strongly encouraged, and about how Divination had changed their opinions about fate and such.

Rohini couldn't help but remember Trelawney's prophecy, and shivered. If she had been right, then Voldemort will come back to his former strength with Pettigrew's help. It was the only thing she hadn't talk about to the girls, for she didn't wanted to make them panic.

"It's the Quidditch World Cup this summer! We'll all go and see it! Dad can usually get tickets from work." Ginny said, then looked at Rohini. "Maybe you and Harry could come with us, too? I'm sure Harry would love it, and I want to spend more time with you, too."

"I'm planning to kidnap you, too." Padma said.

"Mum and Dad really want you to come spend a few days at our place. They talked about contacting your family to ask if you could stay with us for a week in July." Parvati explained. "You too, Lavender! I can't spend a whole summer without seeing you!"

"That would be great." Rohini said, smiling awkwardly. She was still excessively shy when it came to the Patils, worried they would find her annoyingly clumsy and boring.

"Stop what you're thinking right now." Padma whispered in her ear, making her jump. "I can tell you're thinking about something stupid."

"I pledge guilty." Rohini said and Padma chuckled.

The door of their compartment suddenly opened and Harry appeared, waving at Rohini to come for a moment.

"Here, Sirius just sent me this!" He whispered to her, handing her a letter.

"Oh, is he ok?" Rohini asked, taking the letter that read:

 _Dear Harry,_

 _I hope this finds you before you reach your aunt and uncle. I don't know whether they're used to owl post._

 _Buckbeak and I are in hiding. I won't tell you where, in case this owl falls into the wrong hands. I have some doubt about his reliability, but he is the best I could find, and he did seem eager for the job._

 _I believe the Dementors are still searching for me, but they haven't a hope of finding me here. I am planning to allow some Muggles to glimpse me soon, a long way from Hogwarts, so that the security on the castle will be lifted._

 _There is something I never got around to telling you during our brief meeting. It was I who sent you the Firebolt. Crookshanks took the order to the Owl Office for me. I used your name but told them to take the gold from my own Gringotts vault. Please consider it as thirteen birthdays' worth of presents from your godfather. I was also able to retrieve our old journal as a gift to Rohini. I hope it will serves her well. She is a smart and bold girl, just like your parents._

 _I would also like to apologize for the fright I think I gave you that night last year when you left your uncle's house. I had only hoped to get a glimpse of you before starting my journey north, but I think the sight of me alarmed you._

 _I am enclosing something else for you, which I think will make your next year at Hogwarts more enjoyable._

 _If ever you need me, send word. Your owl will find me._

 _I'll write again soon._

 _Sirius_

 _P.S: I thought your friend Ron might like to keep this owl, as it's my fault he no longer has a rat._

"Oh, he gave Ron an owl? He's the best!" Rohini said. "And I'm so grateful for the journal. Did you know that Dad's handwriting is actually sooo messy and-"

Harry stayed with the girls for a few minutes, talking about the WorldCup with Ginny who was quite passionate about it and forgot about her usual shyness around Harry. At some point Harry announced he was going back to his own compartment and Ginny ended up following him.

It was with great sorrow that they get down the train once they had reached King's Cross station, which was as overly crowded as usual. Rohini was talking to Padma and Parvati about staying at their place during summer walking through the barrier of platform nine and three-quarters.

"Now that I think of it, I think mum would be able to get places for the Quidditch WorldCup if we asked." Padma told her. "We could give them to you, if Mr. Weasley can't get enough places for your two."

"Oh my gosh, I can't ask that to your mum!" Rohini said, panicking and the Patil twins laughed. "Oh no, our Uncle is already here…" Rohini groaned, spotting Uncle Vernon who was standing a good distance from Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, eyeing them suspiciously, and when Mrs. Weasley waved at Rohini and hugged Harry in greeting, his worst suspicions about them seemed confirmed.

"Well, goodbye." Rohini said, hugging Padma tightly. "See you over summer?"

"See you over summer." Padma said before giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Take care, don't put yourself in danger!"

"Me? Never." Rohini chuckled, a faint blush on her cheeks. "Goodbye!" she said, waving at her friends before running to Harry's side.

"What's that?" Uncle Vernon snarled, staring at the envelope Harry was still clutching in his hand. "If it's another form for me to sign, you've got another—"

"It's not," said Harry cheerfully. "It's a letter from my godfather."

"Godfather?" sputtered Uncle Vernon. "You haven't got a godfather!"

"Yes, I have," said Harry brightly. "He was my mum and dad's best friend. He's a convicted murderer, but he's broken out of wizard prison and he's on the run. He likes to keep in touch with me and Rohini, though… keep up with my news… check if I'm happy…"

"You might have heard on him on the news… Skinny… long black hair… Called Black or something like that…" Rohini kept going, exchanging an amused look with Harry.

And, grinning broadly at the look of horror on Uncle Vernon's face, they both set off toward the station exit, Hedwig and Thranduil asleep in their cages as if the Muggle world wasn't interesting enough for them.

"I have a feeling we're going to have a wonderful summer." Rohini said cheerfully. "Don't you think, big brother?"

"I reckon it's gonna to be awesome, little sister." Harry said, smiling brightly, sitting inside Uncle Vernon's car and reading Sirius' letter for the thousandth time.

Yes, Rohini thought as she looked at the cloudless sky, this summer was going to be great.

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 **\- - - -Dear readers,**

 **thank you again for sticking along. It means a lot to me. I hope that you like learning more and more about Rohini; she really has a special spot in my heart.**

 **I was wondering if you guys have any expectations for the fourth part that I will eventually begin to write soon. One of the questions i would like to ask you is this one: would you rather have the plotline stay close to the original one, or would you like Rohini to be picked up instead of Harry for the tournament? Both are fine with me.**

 **Thank you again for your time.**

 **Love - truc**


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